RESIDENTS are unable to use the road they live on due to uncompleted work undertaken by a housebuilder.

Living in Keepmoat houses, the neighbours of Darwen Close, Accrington explain their concern living nine weeks without access to the road due to piping and sewage works.

Tina Hindle and her husband have been living in their house for 10 years and worry emergency services could not reach them should something serious happen as Keepmoat have been working on piping for the last nine weeks.

When the works started, Mrs Hindle said Keepmoat promised it would take only three weeks, but builders then left with equipment and the residents are now using a strip pavement to wheel bins out and carry shopping through.

Mrs Hindle said: “They are doing renovations on-site but have left it for nine weeks. We have been in contact with the council, but they said it’s nothing to do with them.

“Someone came but said he couldn’t tell is anything besides it being a problem with the sewage pipes, but they needed permission from United Utilities.”

Parking is also an issue for them as they cannot park outside their homes but must park in a temporary car park just off Newark Street, this site will soon become new houses once work can start.

The residents have car parking spaces at the back of their houses, but these have not been accessible for the last 10 weeks.

Mrs Hindle said: “We are all for the new houses, it’s better than looking at bushes, but they will not start until they give us our road back.

A statement by Keepmoat said: “Keepmoat Homes is working with the Environment Agency and United Utilities to gain approval to complete the works on Darwen Close, Accrington.

“Due to some unforeseen changes the approval process has been subject to an unavoidable delay.

“However, we are hopeful that this issue will be resolved as quickly as possible to allow our contractors to complete the necessary works. We apologise for any inconvenience that this has caused.”

Mrs Hindle said: “If I could afford to move I would, but we are in our 40s now and are stuck here. It’s relentless after all the problems we’ve had in 10 years for them to come back and do this.

“It’s stressful and I was even crying about it because if something happens in our home, what will we do?”

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: “We work closely with housing developers who offer their streets for adoption to advise them on constructing new roads to a standard where they can eventually become highway maintained at public expense.

"We have adopted a section of Dawson Close which complies with the council's standards for adoption, and provides an important facility to the wider public by giving access to a shared footway/cycle link.

"A section of private road which fronts two properties and accesses private parking areas has not been adopted as this section does not comply with the council's requirements for adoption, is not needed by the general public as highway, and was not offered up for adoption by the developer."