Council kerb drop blunder leaves taxpayers £1,600 out of pocket

Workers had to go back and fix the work after the mistake



Taxpayers have been left £1,600 out of pocket after a council blunder saw workers lower a kerb outside the wrong house.

The mix up meant workers had to return on a separate day to repair the kerb and then lower the correct pavement - which was outside a neighbour’s house.

Jake Sallabank, 27, from Chapelfields, was left “perplexed” when he returned home after work to find his neighbour’s kerb had been dropped rather than the kerb outside his house - which he had paid for.

The logistics worker said the mistake could have been easily avoided by checking the house number and that it seemed odd the council then decided to create even more work by taking take up the kerb they had already dropped outside his elderly neighbour’s home.

Mr Sallabank, who lives on Oldfield Road, said his neighbour had initially applied for a dropped kerb at the same time as him, but later told the council she would not be going ahead.

He added: “When we received our quote, we spoke to our neighbour who told us she wasn’t going ahead with the dropped kerb.

“We then sent off our £1,600 cheque to the council to proceed with ours.

“We received a letter telling us when the work was due to be completed, and had a visit from a council employee, who painted the coloured lines in front of our driveway, where our neighbour had none.

“They arrived at 8am on the specified day, as me and my wife went to work.

“My wife got home earlier than me and told me we didn’t have a dropped kerb, but the neighbour had. She then went and spoke to our neighbour and confirmed she had never sent off her form to proceed with work.”

Mr Sallabank said: “My wife rang the council, and was told they don’t know why it happened, but that our driveway would be done the following day.

“But to add to it, as per council rules, they had to take up our neighbour’s kerb, and rebuild it, creating more work for themselves, and possibly stressing out an elderly lady.

“They did arrive, and the work was done on this past Friday (June 16).

“We asked about any refund, and were told we could get the £100 inspection fee back as this wasn’t done correctly, yet the inspection was done fine, it was the actual work that was done wrong.”

He added: “When my wife told me, I was irritated by it due to the council being very happy to take the money and then leave us in the lurch in the first place.

“But after having to chase them for the inspection, we had a feeling it wouldn’t go smoothly.

“I was perplexed by the incapability of someone working on a kerb with no markings, and the wrong house number.

“All they had to do was look to the right for the markings, or even just check the paper work for the house number.”