£3,000 bill to repair post

The gatepost damaged at the weekend

OLDHAM Mela organisers face a £3,000 bill to mend a shattered historic gatepost hit by a lorry at the weekend party.

The accident, shortly before 9am on Sunday, involved a 40ft delivery truck, which backed into one of the pillars at the main entrance to Alexandra Park.

Parks bosses are working with Mela organisers to ensure repairs are completed this week, before the start of Oldham Coliseum’s first outdoor production.

Shaehzad Chaudhry, chairman of Oldham Mela group, said the event and the delivery company were fully insured.

“We are trying to work really quickly to get the pillar repaired and the park back to normal,” he said.

The posts are made up of three pieces, and luckily none were broken in the collision apart from a few chips. But each piece is heavy and it will cost £3,000 to hire a crane and repair the gate’s hinge pin.

The Coliseum’s open-air production in the park, “Star Cross’d”, starts tomorrow night until July 22.


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