Flood fears for Halkirk man after broadband contractors cause damage
Extensive roadworks to make Halkirk one of the best areas for broadband have come at a price for one local man.
Alex Crawford, who lives on George Street in the village, claims that a contractor’s lorry damaged a kerb and pavement outside his home and fears his garden could now be flooded if the issue is not quickly resolved.
“The road’s very narrow and, unfortunately, a 20-ton lorry tried to turn down a lane and went into my bit of the garden and pushed down the kerbing,” said Mr Crawford.
“It’s made a dent in the pavement which means that if it rains really heavy the water is going to run into the garden and it’s going to create a problem. I’ve already spoken to one of their supervisors and one of their foremen and they’ve told me they’ll get it sorted.”
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Mr Crawford says that the works carried out at George Street have moved on to another part of the village. He called the contractors to “get the issue sorted out” but has not heard anything back.
On the Facebook page Halkirk Watch, other local people have complained about the disruption and damage caused by the contractors.
One man posted pictures of a trench that was dug and then tarmacked over. He wrote: “No repair to the damage to the existing tarmac caused by the digger tracks around the trench!
“This is pretty poor considering the inconvenience the laying of the cabling has caused along Sinclair Lane and the rest of the village.”
A local woman said she contacted Highland Broadband over damage to her garden and said the company had quickly responded, sending someone over to help resolve the matter.
Highland Broadband was contacted and a spokesperson said: “At Highland Broadband it is really important to us that we look after the areas where we are building.
“We work hard to minimise disruptions and to ensure footways and carriageways are reinstated appropriately. If there are isolated incidents where this has not been the case then we are more than happy to engage with the local community and to find a quick resolution.
“We’re proud to be turning Halkirk from the slowest broadband settlement in the UK to one of the fastest and are really happy with the number of residents who’ve signed up for our service and are looking forward to when it becomes available in March.”