BWSC

The South End News reports on a couple and their three children, routed from their 36 Claremont Park basement apartment by five feet of water from a burst BWSC pipe "thrashing almost everything in its path" and leaving them homeless - and, they say, with no help from the city.

Just be glad you haven't lived on eeka's block the past two months.

Boston Police report a resident of St. Martin Street was robbed on Tuesday afternoon by guy claiming to be a Boston Water and Sewer Commission worker and an accomplice who rifled through his stuff while the faux worker "tested" whether the man's water was working.

The duo got off with gold coins. Police add:

Victim stated to officers that the suspect was trying to block his view from looking in the other room. At this point victim stated he heard a loud noise come from upstairs at which point he told the suspect to leave. Suspect continued to block the victim's way and the victim pushed the suspect towards the door and told him to leave multiple times.

Police say the "worker" is a white male, about 30, 6'1" and weighing about 180 lbs, with an earring in his left ear. He had an accent, possibly Greek.

Earlier:
Fake BWSC workers flood Hyde Park, Roslindale.

Early-morning flood at Washington and Lafayette; be sure to check out Channel 4's artist's rendition of what the area looks like, then click to Channel 5 for actual photos.

Barely two weeks after Boston Police began warning of robberies by fake BWSC workers in Roslindale and Hyde Park, Boston Police inform us that real BWSC contractors will be out in the area looking for illegal connections to storm drains.

Police say the real workers will carry photo IDs with the Commission logo and the logo of the firms they work for: CH2MHILL, Stacey DePasquale Engineering and National Water Main Cleaning. Police add:

This program will include inspection of storm drain outfalls and manholes in the street. If evidence of sewage is found in a storm drain, the sewer service connections to buildings adjacent to the storm drain will be dye tested. If this testing needs to be done, owners and occupants of the buildings will be notified.

And police continue that if somebody asks to check your pipes, call 911 and have an officer come down and have a chat with him first.

Boston Police report a trio of robbers with a fake "Boston Water Department" badge ganged up on one elderly couple in Roslindale today:

Meanwhile, upstairs, a second suspect entered the house and asked the female victim to go into the kitchen and turn on the faucet. As she began questioning the second suspect, she heard a noise coming from her bedroom which was adjacent to the kitchen and she observed a third suspect standing in her bedroom doorway. She then told the two suspects to leave and that she was going to call the police. As she picked up the phone one of the suspects yanked the phone cord out of the receiver.

Hearing the commotion upstairs, her husband told the suspect to leave and began pushing the suspect up the stairs. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, all the suspects fled out of the house.

The perps are described as three white Hispanic men in their 30s. One is about 6 feet tall, 175 pounds, medium build and wearing glasses and a tan jacket. The others are about 5'9" - with one of them having a mustache and beard and a heavy build.

National Grid to dun city for damage to its gas mains after the water-main break earlier this week.

Nothing like a good water/gas issue downtown on a Monday morning:

Mike Ball harrumphs over the endless procession of workers from NStar, Keyspan and the Boston Water and Sewer Commission who are forever ripping up his street:

... This week, after two and one-half days, one well into the night, the gang of utility thugs left. They managed to knock Italian-bread sized chunks from our maple. They threw Dunkin' cups and lids, sandwich remains, junk food wrappers, pipe straps, work gloves and more on the street and in our recycling bin, including oddly enough, a single lime wedge. We assume that was from some cloying donut shop drink, although it has been gin-and-tonic weather. ...

And then there's the natural-gas smell.