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'Cash down the drain'

Exclusive by Bethan Dorsett
9/ 5/2008

RESIDENTS have accused a water company of wasting taxpayers’ cash after it dug up a street less then a month after the road had been resurfaced by the council at a cost of £30,000.

People living near Claremont Road have been left fuming after United Utilities dug up the freshly resurfaced road in order to replace an ageing water pipe.

Trafford Council has also slammed the utilities giant, saying it expects the road to be repaired properly.

Resident Gordon Minton, 75, said: "The resurfacing finished about a month ago and to see much of this work be destroyed in a matter of weeks is just incredible. The surface of the road had been completely stripped down to cobbles and then rebuilt and also involved reinstating the kerbs – it actually looked lovely.

"Money has been spent on the resurfacing so I think this is an appalling situation."

Eric Armitage, 83, of Sefton Road, said: "They did all that work and then United Utilities came along and what did they do? They took it all up.

"While the council was doing the work they blocked off Claremont Road and now with this latest work, you have to cross to the other side of the road.

"Overall, both roadworks have caused a lot of inconvenience.

"The work must have been pre-planned so I don’t understand why it hadn’t been done the other way round. It just lacks common sense."

Councillors also say they have received several complaints about the works, among them Cllr Roland Griffin.

He said: "United Utilities and the council should have liaised so that the resurfacing was done after the United Utilities work. That would have avoided this ridiculous waste of public money."

Executive councillor Matthew Colledge said in a statement on behalf of the highways department: "The council is investing significantly in repairing worn out roads across the borough.

"It is therefore a source of immense frustration when utility companies dig up our new roads.

"In this case, although this was not emergency work, we were informed by United Utilities that the work would only be carried out on the pavement.

"Instead, we have found that holes have been dug in the road which the council had recently resurfaced. We will be insisting that United Utilities carry out a full and proper repair and I will be seeking assurances that newly resurfaced roads are only excavated when absolutely necessary."

A United Utilities spokesperson said: "Our engineers have been carrying out work on Claremont Road to replace old lead water pipes with new plastic ones.

"This investment will improve the long term reliability of the water supply for local people. The work has now been completed.

"One lane of the road was closed while the work took place, and this will reopen today (Friday)."