Sheffield roads: Fury in Loxley as hundreds of yards of newly-laid asphalt dug up due to scheduling error

Residents in a Sheffield suburb are furious after a newly-laid road was dug up due to a scheduling error.

Readers contacted The Star in dismay after Yorkshire Water started work on Rodney Hill in Loxley days after Amey - the city council’s private sector roads contractor - finished resurfacing it.

People watched in horror as smooth asphalt was dug up for trenches for new water pipes.

Yorkshire Water said their work had been planned for some time and was publicised in The Star in April.

A Sheffield City Council spokesperson said Amey should have postponed their work until Yorkshire Water had finished.

Mike Bellwood said: “This morning I watched the highways guys resurface Rodney Hill. This afternoon I opened a letter from Yorkshire Water stating they would start next Monday digging up the road to replace the pipes! I thought it was a joke.”

Diane Wold said 500 yards of road had so far been dug up and she was furious.

"Amey did an absolutely fantastic job resurfacing Rodney Hill to Ben Lane, everyone I spoke to about it said the same, however we are in absolute disbelief that only two weeks later this beautiful road surface has been dug up for water pipe replacement.

“I really hope someone is going to take full responsibility for this unbelievable situation. I was utterly shocked at the level of incompetence.

"I am livid at this waste of taxpayers’ money when things are so tight.”

Lib Dem councillor Will Sapwell sent a letter to residents titled: ‘What were they thinking?’

It states: ‘Both projects had been in the diary for a long time. With proper co-ordination, Yorkshire Water could have been asked to complete their work before the resurfacing began. Instead, the two sets of works clashed, meaning the road was dug up in between stages of resurfacing.

‘The result will be a patchwork finish rather than a continuous surface, increasing the risk of even more potholes.

‘I have already started asking questions about when the Yorkshire Water permit was signed off, who knew about the resurfacing timetable, and what measures can be put in place so this doesn't happen again’.

A Sheffield City Council spokesperson said Amey had “revised its processes to ensure better co-ordination of work with other organisations to avoid any repeat of the situation.”

Taxpayers' money had not been wasted because Amey is employed under a PFI contract, they added.

“Under the terms of this contract, Sheffield City Council and the Department for Transport pay a flat charge every year to cover a complete suite of highways maintenance services. Under this agreement, Amey is responsible for repairing all defects recorded on the highway network.”

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: “We will of course reinstate the road to the same standard.”