Repairs made to Ormskirk phonebox

FOLLOWING my post here, I’m pleased to report I have now secured action after residents were left to wait weeks for repairs to the vandalised phonebox at the corner of St Helens Road and Knowsley Road.

I wrote to the Chief Executive of BT after the red phonebox was left for more than a month with a smashed pane of glass and for almost two months with a ‘dead’ phoneline.

I took the matter up more than a month ago but BT were not taking action, so I raised it directly with the Chief Executive. After contacting him, I’m pleased to report that BT has now swept up the broken glass, replaced the smashed pane and installed a new phone receiver.

BT has apologised for taking so long to get this sorted and has promised to act faster should the phonebox suffer from vandalism again.

BT needs to get its act together over vandalised phonebox

How long does it take to repair a single pane of glass in a phonebox? Well, about a month if you’re BT.

For that’s how long it has taken them to take action over the vandalised box at the junction of Knowsley Road and St Helens Road, Ormskirk.

I reported the matter on February 8 but it has still not been attended to. The phone itself is not working and I reported this on January 19. Again, nothing.

So today, I decided I’d had enough and wrote to the Chief Executive to demand action. That was around 11.20am. By 1.30pm he’d replied back saying he’d get someone to look into it. And by the end of the working day, I’d had an apology and an assurance that action will be taken next week.

I don’t think I’m being unreasonable. This is a prominent position on a main road into Ormskirk and the last thing we want visitors to see upon entering the town centre is a vandalised phonebox.

BT has had weeks to sort this out but nothing has happened. I have had no correspondence from them at all on the matter, even though I requested an update two weeks ago.

I have to say, this is very disappointing as earlier this year, I reported a similar vandalism issue to them at the same location in January and they took swift action. However, they did not address the dead phone line then and now residents have been waiting a month for this latest vandalism to be fixed.

Lets hope they aren’t waiting for very much longer…

Idiots target phonebox just days after it was repaired

A few weeks ago I reported to BT that the wonderful, traditional red phonebox on the corner of Knowsley Road and St Helens Road has been vandalised.

Just a few days ago, I went to check and BT had the 2 glass panes which had been smashed repaired. Great news.

However, yesterday when I was in the area that now some idiot has gone and smashed yet another pane of glass. Frustrating isn’t the word.

So last night I contacted BT again and hopefully they will be just as swift at repairing this latest damage as they were the last time.

However, the phone itself still isn’t working so I’ve flagged this up to BT again.

Perhaps one day we’ll be able to have a fully functioning, non vandalised phone box. I live in hope!

Damaged phone box on corner of St Helens Rd/Knowsley Rd

WHILST out and about today, I noticed that the wonderful red phone box – one of the very few left in the Borough – on the corner of St Helens Road and Knowsley Road has had two panes of glass knocked out.

Upon looking inside the phone box, there was glass all over the floor. While I was there, I did a quick check of the phone itself and the line was dead.

As a result, I’ve now contacted BT and await their response. As soon as I get a full reply, I shall post an update here.

Knowsley Road student accommodation plan rejected

I am pleased to report that plans to create more student accommodation in Ormskirk has been refused by the Conservative-controlled West Lancashire Borough Council.

The plans to turn 22 Knowsley Road into a multiple occupancy home of 11 en suite bedrooms was refused by the Council’s Planning Department following formal objections from my Derby Ward colleagues, Councillors Adrian Owens and Paul Greenall, as well as local residents and West Lancashire Civic Trust.

The Planning Department quite rightly felt it represented an over-use of the property and would have had a negative impact on its neighbours. They also recognised the extra pressure it would put on parking spaces and increased traffic.

I’ve told the local media there’s no question that Ormskirk does need some student accommodation, but that needs to be balanced with the needs of local residents to ensure it doesn’t damage the town’s social fabric.

Cllr Adrian Owens said: “I worked closely with residents on this, and met with a group of local people to discuss how they could make their voices heard to the Borough Council.

“As local Conservatives, we are grasping the nettle on the issue of student housing, and have already brought forward plans to use new powers handed down from the Government to limit the amount of student accommodation.”

Cllr Paul Greenall said: “People are rightly concerned about the amount of student housing, and the pressure that puts on the local housing market, especially on first time buyers.

“This is a sensible decision from the Borough Council and one which will be applauded by local residents.”

Road resurfacing on Ruff Lane next month

Repairs are to be made on Ruff Lane, Ormskirk, by the Conservative led Lancashire County Council.

I have been contacted by residents concerned about potholes and the general state of the roadway, and, along with my colleagues County Councillor David Westley, Borough Councillor Adrian Owens and Borough Councillor Paul Greenall, am pleased the County Council is taking action.

Resurfacing will take place next month from the junction of Knowsley Road to Mill Street.

To ensure works can undertaken, a temporary traffic prohibition order has been granted for this specific stretch of Ruff Lane, commencing 8am on December 6th and finishing at 4pm on December 12th.

I am advised that, whilst the works are taking place, a diversion will be in place using St Helens Road and Scarth Hill Lane.

This is yet another example of the Conservative County Council investing in our road networking. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of work to be done as the previous Labour administration at County Hall left our roads in an absolutely shocking state.