Frustration for resident as wall felled in storm takes months to repair
Peter Horner's garden wall collapsed onto the pavement in Duck Lane, St Neots. - Credit: Archant
A St Neots man was left frustrated after it took a housing provider more than two months to repair his “dangerous” garden wall, after it collapsed onto a footpath in high winds.
Peter Horner, of Duck Lane, found his brick wall ripped down by storm-force winds and lying in the path of walkers, including mothers and their prams, at the beginning of March.
But, despite contacting housing provider Luminus, he says little work was done for more than eight weeks to clear it up.
“The wind pulled the lot over,” he said. “People have been throwing rubbish in there and I cannot get to my back gate – I can’t do anything.
“I rang Luminus and reported it and, after 10 days, no one had been down and it was still there,” he added.
“I rang them again and told them it had come across the footpath and they said they would treat it as an urgency.”
Mr Horner said he explained the wall was dangerous, but when workmen came out they only put a plastic orange fence around the rubble.
Most Read
- 1 Teenage moped rider seriously injured in crash
- 2 Police ‘increasingly concerned’ for woman missing since Wednesday
- 3 Huntingdon man due in court on drug charges
- 4 Jail for Huntingdon man who threatened to kill woman
- 5 New bus service launched to serve Hunts villages
- 6 Read the fascinating history of The Old Bridge Hotel
- 7 Zip-shaped mark on Rikki's body came from his anorak – the one used to strangle him, court told
- 8 Man who died on A1 at Sawtry is named
- 9 Car travelled wrong way down A1 before triple fatal crash, say police
- 10 Serious case review launched into death of Teddie Mitchell
Mr Horner added that he did not hear from the housing provider again for weeks afterwards, while the wall remained in pieces on the path.
To add to his frustrations, a neighbours’ wall was also brought down in the bad weather, and the private owners were able to get it replaced the following day.
A spokesman for Luminus said: “On March 6, Luminus was informed that due to severe weather, a garden wall in Duck Lane had been damaged. Luminus prioritised this as an emergency and acted quickly to make the wall safe. A contractor has since
been appointed and has made contact with the resident.”
The spokesman added that the wall was due to have been repaired by May 12.
