‘It’s amazing what a call to the press can do’ – Sheffield florist’s glee after dangerous pavement fixed overnight

Sheffield Council contractor Amey cordoned off a tree outside Catherine Vickers’ shop on Ecclesall Road, Flora Florist, to repair the pavement.

Barriers had been left up for four months and, frustrated at a lack of action, Ms Vickers contacted The Star to voice her concerns.

Ms Vickers said she had been in contact with the Sheffield Council contractor for the last two months, concerned for the safety of people both entering and passing her florist.

And after The Star contacted Amey for a comment, the repairs were carried out overnight.

Ms Vickers said: “I am so grateful – the barriers have gone and what looks like temporary repairs have started.

“It’s amazing what a call to the press can do after all those weeks.”

She said: “We were coming to the shop every day to find the tree barriers scattered everywhere, which is really dangerous.

“We live in a student area so they like to play around with them overnight then we have to deal with the mess in the morning.”

Ms Vickers said Amey had also put down unanchored curb stones, which had left a gap between the pavement and the road.

She added: “Someone nearly fell onto the road the other day because they didn’t see the gap and went into it.

“Amey kept saying they were going to sort it but never did until I contacted you.”

Amey said it had introduced a new approach to managing street trees following talks with campaigners and has been reinspecting trees across the city.

In a statement, the contractor said: “A number of trees on Ecclesall Road have been inspected and surrounding surfaces excavated to determine which solutions, if any, may be suitable to enable us to retain the tree. All nearby affected businesses and residents received prior notice of these works.

“Given the unique surroundings of trees on Ecclesall Road, including high footfall, traffic and multiple-use premises in the immediate vicinity, remedial work to improve conditions surrounding the trees has to be undertaken, with suitable permits, on Sundays, to avoid further disruption to commuters and businesses during peak times.

“As with any ongoing work around street trees, we always erect safety barriers to ensure that members of the public are not at risk when travelling past.”

Amey has asked for anyone with concerns about the barriers at its work sites to call 0114 2734567 or visit www.sheffield.gov.uk/report.