'Unsafe' debris at housing estate raise safety worry

A sheer drop over the hillside is just one of many safety concerns raised by Blundells Wood residents

Images show Blundells Wood in Highfield strewn with leftover building materials including sharp metals, unfinished patches of land and unrestricted dangerous walls.

Construction of the Barratt Homes site is now in its final phase, but some families moved into the completed houses more than a year ago.

A spokesman for the Blundells Wood Residents group, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed their concerns to the Post.

One worried mother said: “This could cause someone serious injury. A child could easily lose their life.

“There are daggers of wood, old rusty saws and concrete blocks everywhere. There are even shards of exposed metal sticking out of the ground. It’s been like this for a year now, it’s horrendous and it’s getting worse.”

She added: “There are lots of families with young children, it’s a massive estate. A lot of homes have pets like cats and dogs too, so you have to think about their safety, as well as natural animals likes foxes.

“My kids are literally allowed to play in the garden, where I can see them. They can’t go off and use the green areas like they should do.

“The whole community needs to come together to get this sorted.”

Another worried mum also reported that her nine-year-old son had recently been knocked unconscious after falling off a high retention wall.

She said: “He’d been playing out on his bike with the little boy from next door, when he fell down. He’d been knocked out, and his bike had fallen on top of him.

“I’ve had nightmares thinking about it because he fell very close to that debris.”

A spokesman for Barratt Homes Manchester said: “There is a site manager present to oversee the finishing works, which include the completion of all areas of public open space and the removal of any construction material and temporary fencing.

"Work to install topsoil and plants to the open spaces is programmed to start this week and, in preparation for this, a contractor has been on site to remove any weeds. Litter picking will follow in due course.

“The retaining wall has been designed and constructed to Highways Authority standards and we have not received any reports of a child falling from it. Despite that we will review the access arrangements to see if anything can be improved.”