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Paston: Fury over open manhole peril
Claire and Jo Johnson by the open manhole by the path at the back of Crabtree, Paston. (METP-07-01-12AS033) Picture: Alan Storer/Peterborough ET
A dangerous uncovered manhole has left one woman from Paston on crutches for more than a month, angry residents have claimed.
Parents in Paston were left fuming when a manhole cover by a footpath around the back of Crabtree went missing in November last year.
A 20-year-old woman fell down the gaping hole, badly injuring herself and leaving her on crutches.
It is understood she is considering legal action and has been advised against talking in detail about the incident at this stage.
Claire Johnson (43), who lives in nearby Ulverston Place, took the young woman to hospital.
She told Peterborough City Council in November about the hole and said she is shocked by the lack of response she has had.
A slab of concrete has been placed over the manhole as a temporary cover but she says it keeps falling down the hole or being removed.
She said: “It is right in the middle of a well-used walkway and is really dangerous.
“They don’t seem to have done anything except put this slab over which keeps getting moved or falling down the hole.
“It’s right near a play area, it is so dangerous. I have taken two people to hospital because they fell down there. How many more are going to hurt themselves?
“We’ve been told it’s not the council’s responsibility but why can’t they do something?”
Claire’s sister, Jo Johnson is a Bretton parish councillor and said she has reported it three times to the city council herself.
She said: “Loads of people walk along that path and still they haven’t really done anything.”
A city council spokeswoman said officers had not been able to establish whose manhole it was but the council would repair it and charge the owner.
She said: “As soon as this was reported to us last November, the missing manhole cover was immediately made safe with a heavy duty concrete slab in the interests of public safety.
“There has been some difficulty establishing whose responsibility it is to replace the manhole cover and in that time the slab has been damaged.
“We were not aware there was a continuing problem with this cover and assumed it had been rectified.
“However, now this further damage has been brought to our attention we have again immediately arranged for the manhole cover to be made safe and then replaced permanently. We will look to recover the costs from whichever organisation is responsible.”
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Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
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Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
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