AN Amey whistle-blower is warning that ‘things need to change and quick’ or standards in Trafford will continue to slip.

Around 250 members of the council workforce transferred over to Amey under the One Trafford Partnership, after it won a bumper contract for services including street lighting, cleaning, park maintenance, highways, road safety and waste last year.

An employee, who wants to remain anonymous for fear of losing his job, said he is one of many unhappy staff currently working for the private contractor in the borough.

He said problems from the new partnership range from forced overtime and being severely understaffed to discrepancies in pay and dangerous equipment – claiming on one occasion brakes of a wagon caught fire.

The disgruntled employee said: “I have noticed there has been serious neglect within the borough, the roads and parks are full of litter, the bins are overflowing and don’t seem to be touched for weeks at a time.

“I have overheard staff in control of potholes admitting that they screw up paperwork telling them to fix a pothole as their workload is far too high and they cannot possibly complete their jobs for the day.

“This seems to be a common theme amongst the whole company where the staff cannot complete their daily tasks, which says to me they are understaffed and cost cutting has come too far.

“As a Trafford resident I worry about the council, the place I live and love. I am proud to be from Trafford I would hate for it to become a horrible place to live. In the one year Amey has been here, the state of the place has become appalling. Things need to change and quick.”

Responding to the claims, Amey said all overtime is voluntary and paid at time and a half.

It said that all vehicles are hired and are being replaced as part of an Amey-wide investment in fleet.

It confirmed on one occasion brakes of a vehicle suffered a fault but that it was ‘very unusual’ and the fault was quickly rectified without any injuries and the vehicle removed immediately.

A spokesperson for Amey said: “The accusations made by this individual are completely unfounded and we have irrefutable evidence that show these claims have no basis.

“We’d strongly urge anyone who believes that something isn’t right with either our people or processes to speak to us directly or use our independent whistleblowing helpline so that we can address any issues and work towards a solution together.”