‘We have waited too long for repair works’
HOLES that could threaten the safety of cyclists on a busy main road have not been repaired by a water company, a councillor claimed this week.
Councillor Sue Oliver is outraged that the sunken manhole covers on Kempston Road close to Bedford Hospital, have not been fixed and has called for Anglian Water to act immediately or face being charged for the work by the council.
Bedford Borough Council has advised Mrs Oliver that the work is the responsibility of Anglian Water, and that the firm was contacted requesting the repairs in 2009.
She said: “These dangerous holes were reported to Anglian Water 18 months ago.
“I am outraged that repeated requests by the council to make them safe appear to have been ignored.
“It is sheer luck that these serious road defects haven’t cased an accident before now. It’s just a matter of time before a cyclist is thrown under a car when their bike hits a hole.”
And Mrs Oliver claimed that motorists have to actively avoid the holes in the road creating a hazardous driving environment.
She said: “Thousands of cars, cyclists and motorcyclist pass over these dangerous covers every day.
“I travel this route daily and I’ve repeatedly seen cars and bikes swerve to avoid them.
“I can’t believe that Anglian Water hasn’t taken notice of the council’s requests to rebuild the sunken covers.
“Enough is enough, I have now asked the council to take immediate action to make the road safe and recharge the costs back to Anglian Water.”
A spokesman for Anglian Water claimed that work was being carried out to pinpoint the problem.
He said: “We have not been able to find anything out at the moment.
“We are investigating what is going on and we hope to get it sorted out as soon as possible.”
Have you been affected by the sunken manhole covers?
What do you think should be done to improve Bedford’s roads?
Send your views to our newsdesk by emailing editorial@timesandcitizen.co.uk
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Weather for Bedford
Monday 28 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 25 C
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