Following numerous logs with no results, residents decided to close off a dangerous manhole situated in the middle of the road.
The manhole located on Forbes Street and Osborne Road in Fellside, Houghton, had also been reported by Ward 73 councillor Eleanor Huggett to no avail.
Resident Jacky Groenewald said, “We thought someone was going to fall down the manhole as it was quite deep. The manhole houses most of the water valves that service the entire neighbourhood. People have been using it to dump rubbish into and lately building rubble.”
Groenewald added that there had been a steel cover placed which was, however, stolen the day after it was placed. “Orange Grove resident Brian Whitely volunteered his time to make a cement cover. We managed to raise funds to buy the cement and other required material and Brian made the slab.”
She said the slab dried up within a few days and another resident offered transport to ferry it. The resident shared that it took four men to lift and lower the cover onto the manhole. “Thereafter we cleaned up the pavement and put in plants.”
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