A FED-UP resident has slammed the council and Amey for having ‘no pride’ in Trafford.

Roy Clarke has been battling with Trafford Council for the past two years, trying to get a number of highways issues addressed near his home on Old Hall Road, in Sale Moor.

Old Hall Road is the main route from junction 6 of the M60 motorway and Roy has lodged a raft of complaints about overgrown grass verges, litter, overhanging trees and weeds, road sweeping and blocked gutters.

And the problems are not restricted to unsightliness. Roy said some of the issues pose a danger to pedestrians and motorists, including a mangled sign for ‘Sale’ on the motorway roundabout and concrete debris scattered on the road from broken roundabout kerbs.

“It’s not safe; there is a pole sticking out of the ground and if anyone crashed into it, that would be it for them,” said Roy.

“I have gone down myself to pick up the kerbs from the road – to suggest this is not dangerous is completely irresponsible.”

Correspondence from Trafford Council’s environmental services department stated that the grass in the area is cut every 10 working days and that the roads swept and litter picked every 12 days – but Roy refutes this claim, saying weeks and even months go by before the maintenance team reappear.

“I have spoken to a lot of people at the council on dozens of occasions and they have promised me that everything would be put right. When Amey took the job on, it was supposed to be so much better but I think it’s 100 per cent worse,” said Roy.

“It’s like I am banging my head against a brick wall and I have come to the end of my tether. Something has got to be done.”

Roy has sent numerous emails to Helen Jones, Trafford Council’s deputy chief executive, urging her to step in and take action. Cllr Mike Freeman has also raised concerns and said services have been inconsistent across the borough, particularly since Amey took the reins.

Cllr Freeman said: “I have every sympathy. We have experienced huge problems with the Amey contract right across the borough. There is evidence everywhere of negligence and evidence that it had been done properly in the past.

“Personally, I am running out of faith in the ability of Amey to deliver what has been promised by those who control the council.”

One Trafford, the partnership between Amey and Trafford Council, said the grass verges and central reservation on Old Hall Road were cut on August 19 after a litter pick, in line with maintenance schedules. 

It added that the kerb edges and areas underneath the highways signs were strimmed and a sweeper also cleaned the channels along Old Hall Road on the same day.

A spokesperson for OneTrafford said: “It has been a challenging year for both our highways and grounds maintenance teams as we’ve embedded new ways of working and new equipment across our services.  A number of challenges have been experienced and service delivery has also been hampered by the unpredictable British weather.

“Despite this, we’ve made huge strides forward in our service delivery and we have ambitious plans to improve year on year. We are aware of the various issues Mr Clarke has raised and that he discussed these personally with a council officer in September last year. Our operatives visited the area last week to again ensure that all aspects of the highway are within specification.”