Man slams council after paying almost £2,000 for 'messed up' dropped kerb

A resident has blasted the 'messed up' work of council contractors after forking out £1,850 to have a dropped kerb put outside his home.

Lee Townley says labourers left huge gaps, chipped the kerb stones and never used a spirit level while carrying out the work.

The 40-year-old sent in an application to Stoke-on-Trent City Council to have the kerb dropped outside his Norton Heights home back in March.

Now months later, issues with the work have still not been resolved - despite contractors returning to the site on four separate occasions, Stoke-on-Trent Live reports.

Lee said: “I applied to have the kerb dropped after I moved into the property. I wanted the council to do it. They have to sign the paperwork off and it was about £400 or £500 just for the paperwork.

“I thought I’d go through the council because they can sign it off themselves and I haven’t got to worry about dodgy builders. I got the quote off them, it was about £1,850. It was expensive but I thought I’d just get it done.

“I sent them photos and eventually they came out. They dropped two lads off in a van with a saw and a wheelbarrow. They had no spirit level or anything.

The work even had chips taken out of the kerb stone. (Lee Townley)

"I came from work, looked at it, and immediately put my spirit level on because I knew it was wrong straight away, I could just tell.

“The gaps between the kerb stones weren’t cut straight, because it’s on a corner. The stones are shaped a certain degree. You cut them so they fit, because you can’t have edges round a circle."

The stones were not fixed in straight. (Lee Townley)

Lee immediately complained to the council. He says the council told him that they could not get their hands on curved stones - despite him finding the exact ones on the internet.

He added: "They have come back out and left a big gap of tarmac, they didn’t tarmac the road. They came back to fill that in and instead of levelling the other kerb stones off they just cut the top off the original kerb stones which they hadn't touched. They are having a laugh. They’ve been out four times so far.

“I was given a start date of March. It has been about eight or nine weeks since they started messing it all up.”

StokeonTrentLive has contacted the council for a statement regarding Lee's complaint.

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