A partially sighted pedestrian narrowly avoided falling down a hole in a path that had been left uncovered by internet installation contractors.
CityFibre and its contractors have been working across Reading and Caversham as part of a £58 million project to install next generation fibre optic cables which will see ultrafast broadband speeds of up to 1gbps.
The company has been accused of causing ‘traffic chaos’, and its contractors not clearing sites on completion.
A recent incident almost ended in injury as Sam Tyacke, who is partially sighted and requires the help of a guide dog, was walking along Buckingham Drive in Emmer Green.
She says she nearly fell into a hole in the path left by utility workers, which had been unfenced.
Due to her limited vision, the hole appeared to be a solid surface to her. It was her guide dog that alerted her and prevented an accident from occurring.
Ms Tyacke contacted Reading East MP Matt Rodda to raise the issue.
Mr Rodda met with her and has written to Greg Mesch, the chief executive of CityFibre, who has agreed to a meeting to discuss the issue.
“There was nearly a serious accident and I am very concerned about this and about the risk of other accidents,” Mr Rodda said.
“I am calling on CityFibre to carry out a full review of health and safety and to meet with residents and myself to discuss this issue.”
A spokesperson for CityFibre said: “We are aware of an incident in Buckingham Drive and spoke to a resident as soon as we were informed to find out more details. Our investigation into the matter is currently ongoing and we can assure residents in the meantime that safety remains our number one priority.”
In August last year, CityFibre commissioned a study which concluded that Reading can expect a £1 billion boost to its economy as a result of its £58m fibre optic installation project.
The study was undertaken by the Hatch consultancy firm, which has predicted a £625m boost in productivity and innovation gains, a £138m gain from a widened workforce, £18m in Local Authority efficiency savings and £384m in increased housing value.
CityFibre officials Roy Griffin, its regional delivery director and Stacey King, its regional partnership director, were grilled by councillors at a meeting in July.
During the meeting, councillors voiced their frustrations at incidents reported to them by residents, which included an elderly woman not being informed about works in Eldenham Crescent and an elderly man having work waste dumped on his driveway in Barrington Way.
