A housing association has been accused of “laziness” after leaving an alleyway in Sandbach to become overgrown for “years”.
Helen Coyne, who lives on Palmer Road, claimed she and several neighbours had been “ignored” by Plus Dane Housing, after complaining about the strip of land behind their back gardens on several occasions.
She said a window cleaner had “given up” trying to access the rear of her property and that she was concerned the overgrowth would stop her and her neighbours from escaping during a fire.
Mrs Coyne had lived in the property as a Plus Dane tenant for more than 20 years, before buying it four years ago.
She told the “Chronicle”: “It’s been like that since before I bought the house. When I contacted them last year, they came up with the excuse of a lack of funds and not enough staff.
“But the thing is, it’s down to them to keep it free so that we can get out, because it is a fire hazard. I know my next-door neighbours on both sides have complained before.”
Mrs Coyne, who works as a driver for Ansa Environmental Services, said she had checked her deeds and with Cheshire East Council to confirm that the alleyway belonged to Plus Dane.
She planned to ask a fire safety officer to assess the risk, but said she was not sure who to contact.
Added Mrs Coyne: “It shouldn’t be down to me to do that. One of the neighbour’s gates comes out where you can’t see anything but trees and bushes. If she had a fire at her house and had to come though her back gate, there is no way she’d get through the back whatsoever.
“It’s downright disgusting and in a few years’ time when I sell my house, no-one is going to want to touch it because of that.”
She explained that any tradesmen working on her property had to “traipse” through her house to access the back.
She said: “I’m having my shed roof done at the weekend and he’s going to have to try and bring everything through the front. It’s the irresponsibility of it; people have complained numerous times and we’ve just been ignored.
“They used to keep it clear, but to leave it like that for so long is just laziness.”
The day after the “Chronicle” contacted Plus Dane for comment, Mrs Coyne got back in touch to say that workers from the housing association had cleared the alleyway.
She said: “They have been today and done half of the alley, and will be back on Monday to finish it off. The guys who have been clearing it couldn’t believe how bad it was.”
On Monday afternoon, a Plus Dane spokesperson said: “We have a maintenance schedule for the area, which includes the alleyway being treated twice a season and our team was last out there to do this on 27th July.
“However, it seems that a segment of the alleyway has been mistakenly overlooked, and we were not aware it had been missed.
“As soon as we were made aware of the situation by the ‘Chronicle’, our team went out on 16th August to clear and treat the area, and we will make sure this section is included as part of the maintenance schedule moving forward.”
(Photo: Helen Coyne).
