Villagers in the dark as road blocked

Workmen in High Street, Delph

Firm ‘sorry’ over Delph disruption

A frustrated parish councillor claimed a utilities company brought chaos to a Saddleworth village because of a lack of information.

Traffic, including buses and cars, ground to a halt when a team of workmen with lorries blocked part of Delph High Street for several hours.

United Utilities said work carried out on Sunday was planned in agreement with Oldham Council.

But Councillor Ken Hulme said: “It came as a complete surprise to most villagers.

“Suddenly, a fleet of trucks appeared, traffic lights were erected and the men started digging up the road near the ancient bridge.

“No one seemed to know what was going on. I had no knowledge of the works. To me, it was the utilities company not keeping everyone informed.”

A local shopkeeper said: “The road was completed blocked at one point. A bus was snarled up in the line of stationary vehicles. Things only improved when temporary lights were installed.

“Several customers have complained that it was a very awkward situation. I certainly didn’t know what was happening.”

However, a United Utilities spokesman explained: “Electricity supplies to some customers in the area were temporarily shut down as we fully repaired three separate faults on an underground cable.

“This work was essential in helping to restore the overall reliability of the network. The customers who were affected by the work over the weekend were notified in advance.

“We believe some motorists in the area may have experienced traffic disruption as we needed to arrange for a wagon to arrive on-site for approximately 20 minutes to assist in clearing away rubble caused by the repair work.

“We apologise if motorists in the area experienced temporary disruption but we hope they understand the wagon was needed on-site for a short time to help us in clearing away the remnants of our repair.

“It is our responsibility to notify customers in advance of any planned work we need to carry out.

“In this case that responsibility was fulfilled in co-operation with the council.”