'Wonky' repair job after paving stones are replaced with tarmac in historic market town
Residents of Oswestry, Shropshire, were left stunned by the ‘crazy paving’ repair job left behind by broadband contractors last week.
A historic market town in England has seen a picturesque street’s paving stones replaced with “wonky” tarmac.
Residents of Oswestry, Shropshire, were left stunned by the “crazy paving” repair job left behind by broadband contractors last week.
Contractors who carried out the work for OpenReach ripped up the original stone paving and filled the holes with tarmac, leaving a 25ft zig-zag of asphalt along the street.
Shoppers and workers in the area said the eyesore is also a trip hazard and branded it a "disgrace" to be in front of the Grade I-listed Llwyd Mansion, which dates back to the 15th century.
Dad-of-one Darren Porter, 34, of Oswestry, said: "It's a disgrace how they have left it and it needs sorting out straight away.
"This zig-zag of crazy paving is not in keeping with the historic character of the area and I just can't believe how they made such a mess.
"All they had to do was lift the stones and place them back down again and instead we are left with his absolute eyesore outside one of our most historic buildings."
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, added: “It’s ridiculous. It used to be lovely, the council would come down and maintain them.
"The paving stones get steam cleaned twice a year. It looks horrible now.”
The town's MP, Helen Morgan, also slammed the "haphazard repair work" and has written to Shropshire Council demanding answers.
A Shropshire Council spokesperson said they “completely understand the frustration of local residents” and that contractors refilled the holes when the paving stones were damaged.
But it could be up to six months before the contractors return to repair the ground and put it back to its previous state.
They added: "The permit that was agreed gave no warning that the reinstatement would be interim, so it is extremely disappointing that given the large amount of interim reinstatement they failed to give us prior knowledge.
"Unfortunately it would appear that a number of the stone slabs were damaged whilst being removed and it would not have been safe to relay these, hence the need for an interim reinstatement to keep the area safe for the public.
"We completely understand the frustration of local residents, but under current national legislation utilities companies are permitted to do this type of repair provided that a permanent repair of the surface is complete within six months.”
The spokesperson added that they have “put pressure” on OpenReach to speed up the timescale for permanent repair.
A spokesperson for OpenReach said: “As is sometimes the case, we’ve put a temporary repair in place here to keep the pavement open and safe for local residents.
"We know that the permanent fix needs to happen as quickly as possible, as the temporary tarmac is very different to the existing surface...
"As soon as the new stones are delivered, our contractor will be back out to remove the dark tarmac and replace with the new surface.”
