A PRESTON councillor has succeeded in having a damaged sewer cover repaired - 18 days and three complaints later.

Councillor Ken Cole feared Frenchwood Street residents were facing an unhealthy and smelly summer as the sewer cover in the green between the street's two car parks was removed.

The hole was then covered with a piece of Formica, which coun Cole was unhappy with.

He said: "Frenchwood Street deserved better than a Formica sewer cover and I asked for a new metal one.

"I was worried that someone could fall into the sewer - after all,

we are less than two weeks away from the end of term.

"We all know what children are like - after five minutes they'd be up to their knees in something.

"The open sewer was a health hazard.

"Without a proper sewer cover, people living in or using Frenchwood Street could have faced disease."

He first approached Preston Borough Council's environment services, before turning to the director of technical services.

With no action still taken, coun Cole spoke to cleansing services before the problem was finally resolved.

But it appears that yet another section of the council had to get involved before the sewer was made secure.

The sewer was on private land which the car parks sub-committee look after and it appears that they were ultimately responsible for looking after the fault.

Mahmoud Labib, director of technical services, of which car parks is a member, was not available for comment.

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