Refuse wagon wrecks steps — again

Stewart George and his children, Joe and Lucy, survey the damage after the refuse wagon wrecked their garden steps

A DIGGLE resident was left fuming after a council dustbin lorry demolished her garden steps for the second time in 12 months.

Joanne George, of Moor Crescent, Diggle, was shocked to find the steps leading to her back garden had been broken by the fortnightly council service.

Mrs George said: “It’s like a hit and run, only it’s our property that is involved.”

Mrs George’s husband, Stewart, jumped into his car to track down the vehicle in question after realising the steps had been damaged.

When he found the vehicle in Dobcross and questioned the drivers, he found that no log had been made of the damage to his property — only to the van’s bumper.

Mrs George said: “They just don’t care what they are doing, this has already happened once and they haven’t even attempted to change their procedure. Next time it could be a child they hit.”

The couple have been told that it is up to them to arrange quotes for the repair work, which will be reimbursed by the council.

Mrs George said: “If you have an accident you report it, you own up. I wouldn’t have minded half as much if this had been done, but we are left to chase it up ourselves.”

Other residents on the street have had to deal with tyre marks across their lawns — despite moving their cars to make access to the street easier for the refuse wagon.

Councillor Mark Alcock, cabinet member for environment and infrastructure, said: “Because there has been damage to the steps we have asked Mr and Mrs George to obtain three quotes for the repairs as a matter of course so the steps can be properly repaired. We will rectify the damage.

“I apologise to Mr and Mrs George and would like to reassure them that we are now reviewing how waste is collected from that address.”