Bin lorry ploughed into fence
PHOTO. KEVIN McGUINNESS. Mark Mercer surveys the damage outside his home in Fulwood
A dad-of-two today told how his garden fence was mown down by an out-of-control bin wagon
Mark Mercer arrived home from a day out with his two young sons to find a hole in the fence and his shrubs ripped up.
Mark, a butcher, discovered a note had been pushed through his door in Woodside Avenue, Fulwood, apologising and asking him to ring Preston Council the next day.
Neighbours who were home at the time said it looked like the handbrake on the wagon had been left off.
The 32-year-old said he feared to think what could have happened if his sons Freddie, two, and Jack, eight, had been playing outdoors in front of their house at the time.
He said: “It has destroyed the front of my garden.
“The recycling bin van must have free-wheeled down the street for about 15m.
“I came home to discover it. I’m glad we were out because my two-year-old plays in the garden and my eight-year-old could have been on the street playing football.
“I will have to rebuild the fence and replant the bushes and relay a concrete post.
“There was just a scrap of paper popped through the door, saying, ‘We have had an accident. The council will sort it out – give them a ring tomorrow’.”
Mark said he had been “passed from pillar to post” when he rang the council on Tuesday morning to sort out how the damage would be repaired.
A Preston Council spokesman said the problem was now in hand.
She said: “We have admitted it was our fault and it is our responsibility to put it right.
“Arrangements have been made to fix the damage.”
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Weather for Preston
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North west
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 14 C to 19 C
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