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Leeds Live
Leeds Live
National
Lucy Marshall

Leeds man furious over 'ridiculous' building work for new homes leaving mud trails

A Leeds man has shared his fury at the "ridiculous" building work happening outside of his home.

Neil Metcalfe, who lives in Neville Road, says he has to "trail through mud" to get to his house. He has happily lived in the house for 13 years but now has "thought about moving" due to his frustration.

New houses are being built in the Wykebeck area on a greenspace. Neil said that houses were built in the same area previously, but were pulled down years ago and it has been clear since.

Read more: Leeds man, 23, charged with attempted murder after Armley stabbing

But now the grassed area has turned into a building site, soon to be filled with houses. The 53-year-old said: "It started two or three months ago. To get to my property, and others in the area, you have to go onto mud to get there.

"Your clothes, shoes, and my car are left covered in mud." There are three schools nearby the area, and a local lollipop lady has said that children walking home are at risk of danger.

Neil says all he sees outside of his house is a view of 'bricks and lorries' (Submitted)

Neil, who lives in the area with his wife, added: "Children have to walk through it too. There are schools within a three mile radius of the building work and to get onto the estate, it is not suitable for school kids.

"When you wake up in a morning there are 10 or 12 lorries outside. I feel claustrophobic in my home. When I look out the window all I see is bricks."

He added: "The building company have taken loads of land too - there is no where for children to play anymore." Neil added that he has spoken to other families who live in the area who have shared the same concerns.

Neville Road was clear before but is has been 'covered' in mud for months. Residents have branded the ongoing building work 'ridiculous' (Submitted)

"Something needs to be done", he added. Neil said he has approached both the building developers and Leeds City Council on a number of occasions to report the issue.

Neil added: "I have approached the builders a few times. They have said there is nothing they can do about it."

A spokesman for the developer, Keepmoat, said: "We have a dedicated road sweeper for this site that is continually sweeping for 4-5 hours per day, on a loop which incorporates Rathmell Road, Kendal Drive, Carden Ave and Neville Road. We also have a second road sweep on Tuesdays and Thursdays that concentrates solely on Kendal Drive. Whilst the road sweeper has a specific loop that it sticks to, if there is additional mud on the road, or tracked onto other roads it will also sweep these areas.

"The initial site works are the most difficult time to manage material being tracked onto roads and this is made more difficult with the winter weather. These works are carefully managed to ensure as minimal disruption to residents as possible."

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “Having liaised with the developer, Leeds City Council will continue to monitor the mud issue going forward and take the appropriate action if needed.”

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