High Court defence wrongly points finger at Dorchester-based firm which has never worked ānorth of Southamptonā
Architect AEWās High Court defence against the National Museum of Liverpoolās legal claim has mistakenly blamed alleged problems with the buildingās ceilings on a Dorset-based kitchen and bathroom contractor that had no involvement with the job.
As ŠŌ°ÉµēĢØ.co.uk reported on Wednesday, Manchester-based AEW Architects this week hit back at the museumās Ā£3.5m claim ā which alleges that the Ā£72m building is suffering from a host of serious problems including flaws with a suspended ceiling linked to a collapse that injured a workman last May.
However, it has now emerged that the legal papers ā filed by AEWās lawyers Plexus Law ā wrongly pointed the finger at Dorchester-based Cull Contracting Services Ltd, which did not work on the National Museum of Liverpool and has ānever been further north than Southampton,ā according to its boss.
The defence document argued that AEW ā which was brought in after the museum dismissed the original architect 3XN ā was not responsible for any ādeficienciesā with the suspended ceiling.
āThe [ceiling] panels were not prone to failure by reason of any design excercise undertaken by AEW,ā the document stated. āTo the extent that there are any deficiencies in the suspended ceiling, they are the responsibility of Cull.ā
Martin Cull, the founder of Cull Contracting Services, told ŠŌ°ÉµēĢØ: āI am based in Dorchester and the furthest north Iāve been is Southampton.
āIāve never been to Liverpool and Iāve not been paid for this work. Iām an MOD contractor doing refurbishment work. I donāt do ceilings. I do kitchens and bathrooms.
āThis is a bit of a cock-up to say the least.ā
A spokesman for Plexus Law said the firm would amend the defence document shortly to correct the error.
āIt was an error and it was the wrong party [named],ā he said. āWe have spoken to Cull Contracting Services Limited and have written to them to explain it was an innocent error and that it is being rectified.ā
AEW declined to comment.
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