Coun Kath Rolf (left) with residents of Durham Street, Fence Houses, who have sent a petition to Sunderland Council about the state of their back lane.
Fed-up neighbours say a road outside their home has been left in such a bad condition that even the binmen have to wear wellies.
Residents living in Durham Street, Fence Houses, are angry that the back lane of the street is unadopted, with mud and potholes causing a major problem.
Water running from the nearby Dubmire Primary School field has also caused damage to vehicles.
Now, Coun Kath Rolph has taken up their case and will present a petition to Sunderland City Council at a meeting this month in an effort to get the necessary roadwork carried out.
Marion Surtees, 62, of Durham Street, said: “The binmen have been and you have to wear wellingtons just to walk around outside.
“The council owns two thirds of the land and we own a third.
“We started the petition a fortnight ago.
“We have never had a backstreet as far as I can remember and I was born here.”
She added: “The water has been running down ever since the school was built.”
George Parkin, secretary of The Road Adoption Campaign, said unadopted roads were a growing problem.
“There are new developments taking place, but they are put in with roads that are low standard so new estates end up with unadopted roads,” he said.
“The only way to solve this problem is by public funding.”
Ron Odunaiya, executive director of City Services at Sunderland City Council, said that the council had received the petition from Durham Street residents and the matter was under investigation.
Published Date:
02 March 2010
Source: Sunderland Echo
