Hopwood Park 'waterhole' needs desperate attention, say residents

The “dangerous waterhole" at Hopwood Park

Excessive flooding at Hopwood Park which has formed a “dangerous waterhole" is still growing and needs desperate attention, say residents.

An area of the Heywood park became so saturated with water that it has formed a large, lake-like dip which locals say is getting bigger and is putting local children in danger.

Funding was received last year for the area to be drained, but an electric cable which was causing an obstruction left the matter in the hands of Electricity North West, who say they have been working with Rochdale Council to solve the issue.

However, members of the group Friends of Hopwood Park say that they have waited long enough. Group member Sandra Trickett said: “The school holidays are coming up and this park, as usual, is an absolute disgrace. Not only is it ugly and abandoned, it’s also dangerous, There is enough water now for it to be a hazard and the council is really taking its time to get it sorted.

“The funding was approved for the drainage scheme but now it seems like it’s ground to a halt because of an electric cable. The council and the electric board are essentially passing the buck back and forth and in the end nothing is really being done.”

A spokesperson for Electricity North West, said: “We are liaising with Rochdale Council directly regarding their request to divert one of our underground electricity cables at Hopwood Park in Heywood.

“We received the first request from Rochdale Council on the 8 October and responded the next day and at each stage throughout the process we responded within 24 hours. Our Estates and Wayleaves team requested consent from Rochdale Council on 6 November and we received approval on the 29 January from Rochdale Council which unfortunately caused a delay in the work.

“We have now handed the work to our approved contractor to carry out the project as soon as possible and the work will take approximately a week. We will continue to liaise directly with Rochdale Council to ensure we fully meet their requirements.”

A spokesperson for Rochdale Borough Council said: “A contract for the construction of a pond and associated drainage started on site in late November 2015 but works had to be suspended due to complications with the diversion of the electricity main that runs across the park.

“As is common in transactions of this nature, there was a period of legal discussions and negotiations but an agreement was signed by the Council on 26 January 2016. We are now waiting for a date to re-commence the works which is estimated to be towards the end of February. In the meantime we have erected a safety guardrail on the Middleton Road entrance.”