An electrical contractor has left cars damaged, storm drains filled with gravel and one resident “harassed and bullied” after carrying out work on a housing estate in Alsager.
Coun Michael Unett agreed that Lime Grove had been left in a “disgusting state”, after a group of residents came to the September meeting of the full town council.
Reading from a report that had been compiled by neighbours, in a section of the meeting which allows members of the public to speak, one spokesperson for the group said several complaints had been made to Scottish Power since the contractor began work in July.
She said: “I’ve highlighted three main areas: lack of communication as to how we’ve been treated, disruption as the work has been carried out and in the aftermath of the work still going on, and the quality of making the Grove good again.”
She explained that the 18 dwellings on Lime Grove, constructed in the mid-1950s, were built with a shared, or “looped” electricity supply.
This can present problems for residents wanting to adopt technological advances such as EV charging points or air-source heat pumps, so Scottish Power has begun work to “unloop” properties across the country and connect each individual home to the main electricity supply.
Work was planned to start outside number 10, Lime Grove on 2nd July, and residents received individual dates when they would need to be at home for workers to access their electricity meters.
She said: “In some cases residents took time off work but the date was not met, and I now understand this was because they started outside number 18, when they should have started outside number 10.
“Consequently, all the dates were then messed up.”
Damage
She said ditches were dug into footpaths with no signage, there was damage to kerbstones and drains that had not been covered during the work were left full of rubble and gravel.
Two residents complained that their cars had been damaged by barriers that had fallen onto them during the work, and she said they had been left up on the estate for extended periods of time with no contractors on site.
She said: “There were several days when no work was undertaken. We understand contractors were working on other sites in Cheshire.
“On 5th August, a substantial team of contractors worked on the Grove to backfill pavements and tarmac, and the pedestrianisation of the road was again opened up for us to use.
“It was only later we discovered that the licence for the project with Cheshire East had come to an end on that day – but there were driveways still to be reinstated, and electricity supplies still to be made.”
After complaining to Scottish Power on behalf of the estate, she said she was visited by a contracts manager, who advised her to withdraw her complaint.
She said: “In my opinion the interaction was intimidating and bullying. He asserted he had spoken with other residents that day, and they were all happy with the work carried out, and it was a waste of my time to continue with a complaint.
“I was offered a £50 voucher for my inconvenience. Having spoken to the other residents after this event, no one else had been spoken to that day.”
After hearing about the ordeal at last Tuesday’s meeting, Coun Chris Venables said he planned to write to the company’s chief executive officer, Keith Anderson.
Coun Unett said: “Having gone to see Lime Grove today, I can tell you it is in a disgusting state.”
Coun Jane Hearne agreed: “This is disgusting. I think there is a compensation claim in this. Whatever support we can provide, let’s go as far as we can and as high up as we can.
“This country is losing quality and care. There seems to be no customer service anymore and people aren’t accountable for things. We should take it to the MP as well.”
Resident Susan Smyth, who had attended to speak on another matter, said: “This lady was bullied; that is totally unacceptable. The Government says it had a priority to keep women and girls safe – someone has bullied this woman.”
Coun Unett said: “That should be included in a letter to the ombudsman. It’s bad enough failing to do the work correctly, but that makes it even worse.”
Members agreed to write to MP Sarah Russell, the energy ombudsman and the chief executive of Scottish Power.
When asked for comment, a spokesperson for Scottish Power said the “unlooping” works were being delivered by its contractor Network Plus, and designed to “modernise and futureproof” the electricity supply for residents.
They said: “Each property now benefits from a dedicated cable, enabling future adoption of low carbon technologies, like electric vehicles and heat pumps.
“Representatives from both SP Energy Networks and our contractors Network Plus have held site meetings with all residents who raised concerns, and we understand that all issues have now been resolved.
“The delay in starting work was due to access issues, as vehicles needed to be moved to allow safe working. We’re actively engaging with the local authority regarding reported damage to storm drains, kerbs and footpaths, and will ensure any necessary remedial work is carried out.”
They added: “We’ve engaged directly with every resident who contacted us and remain committed to ensuring high standards of work and respectful communication throughout our projects.”
