in protest at builders

RESIDENTS of a Birkenhead housing estate have set up a wheelie-bin roadblock as a protest against a building company which, they claim, has made their lives a misery.

The Oakbank estate, off Oxton Road, has been sealed off for over a week as anger grows about the state of roads, pavements and gardens in the area after 14 months of construction work on new houses.

Residents' spokeswoman Julie Barker told the Globe: "We took this action to show the builders we mean business and to stop their vans getting in."

Mrs Barker claimed her garden fence had been smashed by a digger last year and was not repaired for six months. She also says that another resident's house and garden were flooded when a sewer pipe burst during building work.

"Everyone's carpets have been covered in sand and water," she said. "It's going to cost us money to get them cleaned up."

Wendy O'Malley, spokeswoman for Beechdale Homes, denied responsibility for the alleged incidents. "There is no evidence of fences being smashed, but I have assured residents that I am looking into their claims and we will deal with all their complaints," she said.

Since starting their protest, residents have enlisted the support of local councillor Pat Williams, who said: "I have great sympathy with them and I hope they are compensated for living in such an unhealthy environment. I will help them in any way I can."

Meanwhile the Oakbank wheelie-bin blockade looks set to continue indefinitely. "We're not going to go away," a defiant Mrs Barker maintains.

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