A man who built a blockade across the road he lives on to stop school-run parents parking outside his house - and then dug a huge pothole - now plans to install a lake in the middle of the street. Derek Woodacer has vowed to continue with his home-made traffic management measures.
His next step will be to fill the pothole with water and turn it into a lake, despite objections. Derek, 65, said: "I have upset enough people but I just don’t care now. I don’t know where this leaves me with the neighbours now. This just makes me more determined to carry on.”
Derek says he has been battling with parents doing the school drop off at Mosley Common’s St John’s Primary School since he moved to the road five years ago as he believes they shouldn’t be parking on his street, reports MEN. Neighbours say his blockade could have prevented emergency vehicles and bin men getting through.
The blockade was recently removed by the council, leaving a pothole, which Derek is said to have made bigger.
“I moved here five years ago and this is an unadopted road so the council is not responsible for it,” he said. “When I moved in I thought what the hell is this.
“The first week I saw a lot of people parking from the school. I felt a lot of abuse from parents when I told them they couldn't park there.
Blockade at Commonside Road put up by Derek Woodacer in Mosley Common (Image: Handout)
"We have to pay to repair the road and it costs thousands. I met every resident on the road and they told me about all the problems.
"There have been assaults and property damage and we wanted to get this sorted. This was in terms of trying to stop people parking here.
"I said this is not acceptable and said there is no point in repairing the road if we can’t stop people parking here. They [Wigan Council] tried to force me to remove the stuff from the highway two months ago."
Ruby Howard, 24, who has lived on the road all her life, said: “Originally our road is unadopted and we own up to halfway on the road to the middle of the street and we have the school at the end. For 16 years we have always had a back and forth [with the school].
“We all paid for it to be resurfaced and he took it upon himself to put barriers in. That has led to abuse arguments with parents. It looked awful.
“I contacted the council and have been trying to get it removed for two-and-a-half years. It got to the point where emergency vehicles and bin men couldn’t get through.
“It has been stressful, people on the street have sleepless nights. At first he was alright and wanted to help with the road, I think he got a bit too passionate."
Outside Derek Woodacer's house on Commonside Road, Mosley Common (Image: Manchester Evening News)
Another neighbour, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “He started first by tackling the parking by the school. It is minutes they are there dropping off, people understand and would rather children get in school safely.
“He has blocked the road before. He wants the attention. He made the hole bigger. It’s draining. I’ve never known anything quite like it.”
