Road rage as barriers fall

Smashing time . . . barriers on the road from Denshaw

FURIOUS motorists have lashed out after barriers on a major route to a motorway collapsed.

Sections of plastic fencing, which is protecting work on an electric cable on the outskirts of Denshaw, was brought down in high winds.

The route, a direct link to Junction 22 of the M62, was thrown into chaos when vehicles had to pick their way through parts of barriers strewn into the roadway.

Mary Bradford, of Dobcross, said: “It was like a scene from a crash movie.

“Some barriers had been blown directly in drivers’ paths and had to be cleared out of the way.

“It’s a good job they are made of plastic otherwise they could have caused some real damage.

“Other pieces had been wrecked by vehicles driving over them. It was a complete mess.”

Angry Oldham councillor Alan Roughley, who lives in Denshaw, said: “We seem to be alone in Europe in allowing utility companies to tear up our roads.

“Elsewhere, they lay pipes, drains and conduits beneath verges or pavements and often do the work at night.

“Complaints have been made to Oldham’s emergency call line and immediately passed on to United Utilities which is supervising the work.

“Oldham Council attempts to work with, but has no control over, the utility companies. Many of us think they should, but that needs action by Government.

“You would have thought less flimsy barriers would have been used on a road 1,000ft above sea level and subject to cross winds.

“This is the major diversionary route when the M62 is closed by bad weather or accidents — it happens about once a month.

“We were lucky the wind slackened and the motorway remained open.

“We already have lengths of mangled plastic which cars had to drive over with the road reduced to one narrow lane.

“Things could have been very nasty if there had been a procession of 40-ton trucks ploughing their way through.”

A spokesman for United Utilities said: “These roadworks are to divert an electricity cable.

“Our contractors have used the correct type of barriers and we have asked them to check them daily until the work is completed at the end of next week.”