Retired reverend wishes happy first birthday to roadworks

A fed-up retired reverend has wished happy birthday to roadworks which have been left untouched for a year.
Newspaper: Wakefield Express.
Story: Outwood resident Bob Edwards celebrates the one year old roadworks at the corner of Lingwell Gate Lane and Kenmore Road, Outwood, Wakefield, by giving the roadworks a birthday card!
Reporter: Nick Frame.
Photographer: Andrew Bellis
email: andrewbellisphotography@gmail.com
Twitter: @SnapperAndrewB
Mobile: 07885 426 523
Photo date: 17/05/17
Picture ref: AB138c0517Newspaper: Wakefield Express.
Story: Outwood resident Bob Edwards celebrates the one year old roadworks at the corner of Lingwell Gate Lane and Kenmore Road, Outwood, Wakefield, by giving the roadworks a birthday card!
Reporter: Nick Frame.
Photographer: Andrew Bellis
email: andrewbellisphotography@gmail.com
Twitter: @SnapperAndrewB
Mobile: 07885 426 523
Photo date: 17/05/17
Picture ref: AB138c0517
Newspaper: Wakefield Express. Story: Outwood resident Bob Edwards celebrates the one year old roadworks at the corner of Lingwell Gate Lane and Kenmore Road, Outwood, Wakefield, by giving the roadworks a birthday card! Reporter: Nick Frame. Photographer: Andrew Bellis email: [email protected] Twitter: @SnapperAndrewB Mobile: 07885 426 523 Photo date: 17/05/17 Picture ref: AB138c0517

Reverend Bob Edwards, 67, says both the council and utility companies are refusing to take responsibility for the badly-damaged roads at the junction of Lingwell Gate Lane and Kenmore Road in Outwood.

Safety barriers have been in place for 12 months with no attempt to repair the problem.

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Rev Edwards, a retired baptist minister who lives on Lingwell Gate Drive, said: “I went on holiday in May last year and they were there then, so they’ve been there some time.

“It seems the council and utility companies are arguing for who is going to pay for it.

“It’s just ridiculous that it’s not been sorted after all this time, it’s just going on and on.

“I just wondered if the council was planning any kind of celebrations because of its birthday.”

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The council says damage to the drainage system by ‘various utility companies’ has made it prone to flooding and had damaging the road surface.

Council spokesman, Neil Rodgers, said one of the companies was due to begin work next week, but said: “We are also unhappy at the length of time this has taken to sort out.

“We have been working tirelessly to get the utility companies to move the cables and apparatus they have installed, so that we can repair the damage these have caused.

“We fully agree that it has taken far too long.”