Dangerous canal-side fence to be made safe

Residents on Woodbine Street say a recently erected canal-side fence is dangerous. The fence has gaps wide enough for children to climb through - two children aged 7 have so far fallen in the canal.

The fence was built by Great Places, but residents say that Great Places  has refused to take responsibility for replacing the fence.

A Rochdale Borough Council spokesman said: "I believe it is a matter for Great Places to decide whether to enclose the canal boundary railings – these works would not involve any further planning approval."

Approached by Rochdale Online, Great Places, in a move that will please residents, promised to remedy the problem. Guy Cresswell, director of housing services at Great Places Housing Group, said: “We met strict planning guidelines when we built these homes and went further by building higher perimeter walls on those properties nearest to the canal. However, following concerns raised by local residents we will be making further adjustments to the fencing to make it even safer and this work will be carried out shortly.

“We take the safety of our residents very seriously and we regularly talk to those with young children to remind them about the potential dangers of allowing them to play unsupervised near the canal.”