Furious homeowners in Lancaster hit out at developer who 'left a big mess' on their unfinished estate

They feel ever since they moved into their new homes - more than two years ago - Persimmon has been "fobbing them off" when it comes to fulfilling promises and serious safety issues are being ignored.

Residents claim piles of concrete blocks, cement and other construction material has been left abandoned on the estate causing a hazardous and unsightly mess to the residents who paid hundreds of thousands of pounds for the new homes at the front of the estate. Other problems which need to be addressed include potholes and damaged roads.

Now, after months of waiting, they are calling for urgent action and demanding the developers return to fix the problems.

Officials at Persimmon Homes Lancashire have promised to return and complete all works before Christmas, but homeowners are not convinced.

Paul Andrews (61), who moved into his newbuild two years ago, has accused the developer of being uninterested in repairing the 'dangerous' roads. He described a recent bike accident caused by the hidden potholes in the road as a 'lucky escape' from serious injury when his front wheel had been caught in a large trench in the road.

A further resident living on the front of St George Quay describes having to wake up each morning to a total mess of building supplies and rubbish left by the builders. He too has complained at the contractors and although he is given assurances these issues will be resolved, nothing to date has occurred in the past 18 months.

Another resident is concerned by the damage to their vehicles caused by the potholes they have to navigate each day. "I have had to replace two lots of tyres because of the damage caused from the state of the roads on the estate. We are just wanting the works to be completed," he said. Meanwhile, one resident had recently witnessed a person in a wheelchair having to negotiate the steep kerbs and uneven surfaces. It has made the area a total hazard for anyone using a wheelchair or with mobility issues.

"We moved in to St Georges Quay two years ago and for the past 18 months, Persimmon homes have been assuring us that the roads will be finished as a matter of priority. Each month I have been contacting them to receive an update and despite their customer services assuring us the work will commence to complete the works nothing ever materialises. We don't know what to do next?," he said.

Responding, a spokesman for Persimmon Homes Lancashire, said: "Work to complete the St George’s Quay development has taken longer than we would have wanted and we sincerely apologise to residents for any inconvenience they have suffered.

“However, contractors are scheduled to be on site within the next two weeks and we envisage all works being fully finished prior to Christmas.”

The issue has also been brought to the attention of ward and County Coun. Gina Dowding, who is also Lancaster City Council's cabinet member for strategic planning and placemaking. She said: "My heart goes out to the residents who have moved into their new homes in good faith only to end up living on a building site! They have waited time and time again for the potholes to be repaired and the construction material to be removed, but to no avail.

"It's pretty shocking that a well known housing developer is not working to the satisfactory requirements of the people that they sell their houses to. I would like Persimmon to speed things up and just get on with rectifying the problems."