Former engineer left ‘depressed’ walking into Sheffield over state of Fargate pavements

The man, who did not wish to be named, said he was ‘depressed’ to walk into Sheffield to see tarmac ‘carelessly dumped’ in holes up and down the city’s key shopping district.

He says this will have been carried out by utilities companies and has called on Sheffield City Council to liaise with contractors and regulate any further work.

He said: “From my point of view, the way that this is all run is shocking and somebody needs holding to account.

"What’s happening is that utilities companies are digging up holes, then throwing in the tarmac and just battering it down, which is incorrect.

"You’re supposed to seal the edges of the tarmac with tar- which stops water, frost and salt getting in the hole.

House taped off and under police guard after shooting on one of Sheffield's most exclusive streets

"If not done correctly the tarmac will start coming up and you’ll just end up with potholes and more cost for the taxpayer.

"These cobbles were laid on Fargate as part of a scheme to uplift the area and the tarmac is an eyesore, but that’s not the main issue here.

"I accept there's a reasonable way of repairing something, but it should be that you finish it off in a way that has some longevity.

"I’m always hearing that Councils are struggling for cash- well, it could very well be that they’re throwing money away by not doing things properly.

"We seem to be stuck in a cycle where people just don’t care about these things anymore.”

The man, who lives in Rotherham where he says there are ‘similar problems’, added: “These people to have to apply for permission to dig up the streets- so who is there to audit them?

"If you had beautiful paving in your driveway and some contractor came and did a job before just throwing in a load of tarmac and then clearing off, you wouldn’t be best happy, would you? I don’t see why it should be like that for our public spaces.”

The Star has contacted Sheffield City Council for comment is awaiting their response.

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