'Someone could break their leg' - shopkeeper calls for BT to fix broken manhole cover in Sheffield road

Catherine Vickers said the concrete cover of the shaft on the corner of Ecclesall Road and Broomgrove Road cracked and fell in about two months ago.

Workers from the council's highway contractor Amey came to put safety barriers around the manhole, which belongs to BT.

But the utilities firm has not yet fixed it, despite repeated complaints.

Ms Vickers, who runs Flora, said it was a safety hazard.

"The barrier keeps being blown down and sooner or later someone is going to break a leg on it," she added. "It only needs someone to come in the dark and stumble over the barrier."

The hole is about 30cm in diameter and 40cm deep, according to Ms Vickers.

She said: "I've been on to BT several times and all they keep doing is giving me a reference and saying they have made a record of everyone reporting it. I've called half a dozen times. I was told someone would be out in four hours to secure it.

"It's a concrete manhole cover that's obviously cracked and fallen in. It happened at least two months ago."

BT said the manhole was the responsibility of its subsidiary Openreach.

A spokesman for the firm said the damage had been reporter, and engineers had been out to make the site safe.

The spokesman added: "The repair work requires civil engineering work which is due to be completed on November 14.

"The damage is not service affecting and the area is safe but we will endeavour to bring the date of the work forward."