Child could have died in manhole (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Child could have died in manhole

8:35am Thursday 22nd March 2007 in Swindon By Gazette Reporter

A woman who cracked two ribs falling into a broken manhole fears a child could drown if it is not fixed soon.

Lisa Barrett, 24, of Purton Road, Moredon, was visiting her father in Stratton last Wednesday when she fell into the drain, in Constable Road, which had a broken cover.

"If it had been my three-year- old son he would have drowned," said Lisa. "The water came up to my middle and was full of sewage.

"My shoes fell to the bottom and I had to drag myself back out. I cracked two ribs, and was bruised and swollen all down one side of my body.

"I'm still off work and can't drive because of the painkillers I am on. A lot of children play football on the grass next to it and could be seriously hurt if one of them fell in."

After catching her arms on the edge of the drain Lisa managed to drag herself out. She went to her father's house for help, but he was in the garden and couldn't hear her.

“If it had been my three-year- old son he would have drowned. The water came up to my middle and was full of sewage."

Lisa Barrett

So she went to the home of neighbour Len Devine. Mr Devine said: "She was drenched and covered in mud and sewage.

"I took her into the house and sat her down while I went to get her father."

Mr Devine said he had notified the council of the broken cover more than a week before. "I noticed the cover was broken and there were tyre marks in the grass," he said.

"The only thing that is that big that comes down here is the dustbin lorries, so I think it was one of them driving over it that caused the damage.

"I phoned the council on Tuesday, March 6 to report it and was told to report it to highways and given their number.

"I called them twice and got no answer. In the end I left a message on their answer phone giving all of the details."

Lisa said the council sent someone to look at the manhole after her father called the council again on the day of her accident.

"They sent a man to have a look at it and he said that it was broken and would need a repair and it would be fixed within a couple of days," she said.

"But that was a week ago now and still nothing has been done. I was badly hurt, lost my shoes and was covered in sewage, but it could have been a lot worse if a child or elderly person had been in my situation.

"The hole must be 10ft deep, I couldn't reach the bottom and when my dad tried to get my shoes out he couldn't reach the bottom with a pole.

"The cover of the manhole has been pushed back into place, but when we visited there was nothing to warn people it may not be safe to walk on."

Council spokesman Richard Freeman said: "The damage was first reported to the council at 5.10pm on Wednesday, March 14.

"Our maintenance staff went out that evening and re-secured the cover. The cover appears to have been dislodged by a vehicle which has been driven on to the verge, and we're investigating who owns the manhole."