A HOUSE builder which laid a new footpath with an existing lamppost slap bang in the middle of it has said the work hasn’t been finished.
Photographs of the new pavement along Gypsy Castle Lane, leading from Persimmon Homes’ new development in Hay-on-Wye, were shared on social media after it was laid earlier this month.
Among those to have been stopped in their tracks by the unexpected obstacle course is the town’s deputy mayor and London 2012 Paralympic gold medalist Josie Pearson.
The town councillor, who uses a wheelchair, had welcomed the creation of the path but was taken aback to find workmen had paved around an existing lamppost – leaving it bang in the middle of the footway and as obstruction to anyone unable to walk around.
She said: "I saw the contractors doing the work and I just assumed they could see the lamppost and that it would be moved at the same time they laid the pavement but the lamppost was just there in the middle of the pavement."
However a spokesman for Persimmon Homes East Wales said the work hasn’t yet been finished and said no mistake had been made by leaving the lamppost in the middle of the tarmac footway.
He said:"“This new footway is not finished. The local authority is aware of our intention to remove the old street light in the middle of the path, which will happen in due course once the new columns have been installed.
“Far from being a blunder, this work to the new footway is following schedule and usual protocol.
“The footway, once complete, will provide a safe pedestrian route for everyone in the area, including those in wheelchairs. It is part of our overall investment in the area.”
Powys council has said it will not accept the work as completed until the lamppost has been relocated.