A DAD who says he is living in a building site has accused council bosses of "blatant negligence" after construction machinery was left in reach of his family's young children.
Bosses at Colchester Council, however, have laid the blame at contractor Kier's door after they had to remind workers of the strict health and safety procedures they must follow at the site.
The authority was forced to take action after complaints were made about there being no fencing around the site plant nor its building equipment, including forklifts.
As a result, members of the public were able to gain access to the construction area.
But Simon Burrows, 32, who lives in Anglia Close with his fiancé Chelsea Nolan and three children, 11, 7, and 10 months, says the problems run much deeper.
He became a tenant in council accommodation in the road days before work on the new-look Elfreda House got underway.
Mr Burrows claims he was not informed of the project before he agreed to move into the property and says the development has since breached health and safety as well environmental regulations.
On one occasion he says he found trenches which were not cordoned off and “forklift drivers parked on the path whilst lifting a load of plasterboard".
In pictures seen by the Gazette, bags of rubbish also appear to have been left dumped at the site, just a stone's throw away from Mr Burrows' home.
He says he has regularly raised his concerns with the council but claims they have fallen on deaf ears.
Mr Burrows added: “The council have been contacted but have done nothing, they have claimed I knew about this so I should just accept it.
"I feel as if those at the council have put there fingers in their ears and actively and knowingly ignored my rights.
“The site is literally right outside our front door. It's about ten feet short of living inside the building."
Bosses at Colchester Council have disputed some of Mr Burrows' claims, but acknowledge health and safety protocols at the site were "unacceptable".
A spokesman said: “Both the council and Colchester Borough Homes take all health and safety concerns on construction sites extremely seriously.
“We were deeply disappointed to learn of reports received yesterday regarding missing fencing around site plant and machinery at the Elfreda House development.
"This allowed public access to the construction area, which is unacceptable. The contractor, Kier, has accepted full responsibility for this lapse.
“An officer from Colchester Borough Homes (CBH) visited the site at 7am on Thursday to investigate and ensure the situation is rectified. Additionally, a mandatory toolbox talk was conducted to reiterate health and safety protocols with all construction workers."
“We are committed to working closely with Kier to ensure the highest health and safety standards are consistently maintained on the Elfreda House site.
“With regards to public notices ahead of the building work commencement, we are committed to keeping residents informed. A formal consultation process was undertaken as part of the Elfreda House planning application, and the development has also been highlighted on the council’s website, social media channels, and in the press.
“Once again, we would like to apologise to residents in Anglia Close and reassure them that we are taking all necessary steps to ensure such an incident does not happen again.”
A Kier spokesperson said: “We care about the communities in which we work and take our responsibility to them seriously".
"On this occasion we have fallen short of our standards and have taken steps to ensure residents can access walkways safely.”
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