Roadworks in rural Shropshire 'posing a danger to traffic'
Road repairs in rural areas of Shropshire are posing a danger to traffic – and have already contributed to one accident, it has been claimed.
A motorcyclist collided with a set of unfinished roadworks, and manholes have been left uncovered in the area for several weeks, it was claimed today.
An investigation has been launched into an accident in which the motorbike rider ran into roadworks in Worthen, south of Shrewsbury, which were not well lit.
Openreach has pledged to investigate the claims "as a matter of urgency".
Today Shropshire councillor Heather Kidd called on Openreach, part of the BT group, to finish work as soon as possible – and said the time taken to carry out repairs was "getting ridiculous".
She added there were two other spots around Shrewsbury and south Shropshire where roadworks are leaving manhole covers missing.
She said: "BT and their contractors have always been slow in finishing jobs but now it's getting ridiculous to the point that it is a danger to the public. There have been three sets of work in my division that have been started but taken upwards of six weeks to finish. All are on busy roads."
Councillor Kidd, who represents Chirbury and Worthen said work included repair a crumbling grid in Chirbury that took months, while a repair to a manhole on the B4386 was started six weeks ago but was still unfinished.
She said there had been a crash at one of the sites where work was being done at Worthen.
"In Worthen a motorcyclist ran into an unfinished set of roadworks injuring himself. This had also been left unfinished for several weeks," she said. "To repair that hole, Openreach took a manhole cover from the Leigh Road about a mile away. The Leigh Road manhole has been uncovered ever since apart from a piece of fencing.
"I want to know why a contractor cannot finish a job when it's started. Why do they have to leave it obstructing traffic for six weeks? These are safety issues on heavily used roads. I have contacted Openreach as I know council officers have too.
"I have stressed that urgent repairs are needed before we have another accident."
A spokesman for Openreach, which manages much of the United Kingdoms's broadband and telephone network, said: "It is regrettable when Openreach suffers any damage to its network.
"Every effort is made to undertake any repair work needed as quickly as possible.
"Openreach takes the issue of public safety very seriously and is investigating the claims as a matter of urgency."
