A man has called on Anglian Water to fix a sunken manhole cover after recording the noise from vehicles hitting it at dangerous levels.
John Lyndon-Taylor said the cover in Victoria Road, Diss, presented a danger to cyclists and motorcyclists, and was like “a machine gun going off” when it is struck.
The former town councillor said the defective manhole had been repaired last year, but had sunk by several inches since then.
“It is a total disgrace that this has not been sorted out when you look at the amount of articulated lorries that come through Victoria Road,” said Mr Lyndon-Taylor, who has recorded the sound from HGVs hitting it at 100 decibels.
“When a three or four-axle vehicle goes over it, it is like a machine gun going off. It is affecting my sleep – I cannot be the only one on the street that feels like this.”
The 63-year-old said he had contacted Anglian Water last month to find out what was going on.
An engineer came to inspect the cover and contacted him saying it was out of their control as any repair would require the road to be closed.
“They did not need to do that last time,” he told the Diss Express. “They had temporary traffic lights.
“I don’t think they really know what they are doing, to be honest. The last comment I had from them was that it is on a risk register but it is too expensive to repair again.”
As a last resort, Mr Lyndon-Taylor purchased a sound recording device and found that the noise hit 100db by the roadside, and exceeded 50db close to his front door.
“Even with my double glazing and trying to mask my front door to minimise the noise, it is still very loud,” he said. “And I am about 20 yards away from it.
“I know we are on a busy road but God only knows how it affects people who live directly opposite it.”
Mr Lyndon-Taylor also said he was concerned for the number of cyclists and motorcyclist that use the road.
“If one of them was to hit that hole and come off, there could be a serious problem in the middle of town,” he said. “This should be repaired sufficiently to protect all road users and for the health of residents who live near it.
“The people on the phone at Anglian Water say they can’t assure me it will be repaired, but they have flagged it with management. I understand it is not their fault, but something needs to be done.
“I find I get fixated on the constant sound. Before you know it, it starts to affect your day-to-day routine as well as your sleep.”
After being contacted by the Diss Express, a spokesman for Anglian Water said: “We are sorry that our manhole cover in Victoria Road has been noisy recently.
“Loose covers are not dangerous; they are just noisy, but we appreciate how frustrating that can be.
“Our teams are planning to replace the manhole cover on May 16 and, in order to keep our teams and other road users safe, we will be closing the road while the work takes place.
“We would like to thank Victoria Road residents for their patience while we get this fixed.”
What do you think? Is enough being done to keep our roads in good condition. Let us know your thoughts by emailing any comments to editorial@dissexpress.co.uk.
