dangerous ditch in garden

Anthillmob

as you come out of our backdoor there is whats known as disabled access steps. then theres a step up into the garden. between the steps and the garden is a gap or ditch that is approximately 2-3 feet long by about 30cm wide and if i stand in it it comes up to my knees (im 5ft 9.5).

just had a surveyour from the council round (its a council property) and he agrees its dangerous, especially when my daughter learns to walk and wants to go out there. however because its at the back of the property they cant do anything about it and he suggested we put some wood over it.

so i called the repais helpline again only to be told if this is what he said then thats it and nothing can be done about it.

so what if my daughter does fall down it and hurt herself? its happened to me and mr mob before now. someone could break a leg falling down it.

is there anything or anyone someone can suggest to sort this hole out? we couldnt fill it ourselves because of drainage issues.

im furious that they dont seem to care that we have a potential danegr. could i sue them if one of us did hurt themselves?

deanos

If its that dangerous and you are that worried about why not just cover it over as suggested , rather than wait for an accident and then trying to claim compensation ?

Anthillmob

on dont get me wrong im not an ambulance chaser! we will cover it but i believe that because it is so dangerous that the council should do something to it. i was joking about the suing bit.

trickytrolleys

I had a dodgy wall that the council wouldnt do anything about until i mentioned that if it fell on someone they could be sued - i had someone round that afternoon

deanos

The council will get out of anything if they can

CIS

If its in the garden like that, its usually classed as the tenants responsibility to look after and repair

Anthillmob

but we never put it there. its been a danger since day one and even mor so since the prev occupant removed the rails.

the railsare in the garden but wouldnt stop a new walking baby or anyone under the age of 7 getting under.

should i bother my local mp?

conradmum

So this hole is about 3 feet long, 1 foot wide and about 1 1/2 feet deep? Could you explain why you can't fill it? Is it because excess water drains into it? You could still fill it with rubble if this is the case, then cover it. This would seem the simplest solution to me, and a whole lot less trouble than chasing the council or contacting your MP.

Spendless

Anthillmob wrote:

but we never put it there. its been a danger since day one and even mor so since the prev occupant removed the rails.

the railsare in the garden but wouldnt stop a new walking baby or anyone under the age of 7 getting under.

should i bother my local mp?

I'd try your local councillor first. Tip I complained to my wannabe local councillor about my nans RTB council flat not being completed in nearly 2 years. It was hers within 3 weeks . This was 2 months before a local election took place-fancy that :whistle:

CIS

The problem is that generally speaking any issues like that are inherited with the house - imagine if you bought a house with the ditch in the garden, it would then be your responsibility to fill it .

I agree with what your saying about it being dangerous, I just doubt you'll get any luck with the council .

Is anyone near by digging out a drive or building an extension ?, they'll probably be more than happy to let you have soem soil to fill the ditch.

Chester_Draws

You could try wording a letter along the lines of:

Dear Sirs,
Thankyou for sending the surveyor round to view my concerns.
Now that he has stated that the situation is dangerous, can you please advise what the proceedure is, should I need to make a claim.