OSWESTRY residents have added their voices to the outrage over "shoddy" work which has seen paving stones replaced with wonky tarmac in an historic street.
Earlier this week, both Shropshire Council and Helen Morgan MP criticised Openreach for the repairs in Cross Street, and locals were also stunned to discover the "crazy paving" botched repair job left behind by broadband contractors.
Workmen ripped up the original stone paving but instead of replacing them they filled the holes with tarmac, leaving an unsightly asphalt scar along the street.
Shoppers and workers in the area said the 25ft eyesore, outside the Grade I listed Llwyd Mansion, is a trip hazard and branded it a "disgrace" to be in front of such a historically important building.
READ MORE: Shropshire Council responds to Oswestry Openreach eyesore
Dad-of-one Darren Porter, 34, of Oswestry, said: "It's a disgrace how they have left it and it needs sorting out straight away.
"This zig-zag of crazy paving is not in keeping with the historic character of the area and I just can't believe how they made such a mess.
"All they had to do was lift the stones and place them back down again and instead we are left with his absolute eyesore outside one of our most historic buildings."
A builder, who would only give his first name as Dave, said: “They've just gone with the cheapest fix.
"In my experience from working from slabs you can just lift them off without having to break them so I don’t understand why they’ve had to do this.
“It’s a mess and it’s raised in certain parts so it could be a trip hazard.
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“It’s in front of the second oldest building in town. Why would they do it in front of such an historic building?”
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, added: “It’s ridiculous. It used to be lovely, the council would come down and maintain them.
"The paving stones get steam cleaned twice a year. It looks horrible now.”
Shopper Clare added “It’s absolutely hideous, they’ve done up a building down the road with the same workmanship. It's so shoddy.
"They need to come and fix it as soon as possible.”
A council spokesperson said that contractors undertook the work on behalf of OpenReach, and said it had no warning that the reinstatement would be interim, describing the outcome as "extremely disappointing".
A spokesperson for OpenReach said: “As is sometimes the case, we’ve put a temporary repair in place here to keep the pavement open and safe for local residents.
"We know that the permanent fix needs to happen as quickly as possible, as the temporary tarmac is very different to the existing surface.
"Yesterday (Wed) we received a number of paving stone samples that we’re matching up with the help of the local council.
"As soon as the new stones are delivered, our contractor will be back out to remove the dark tarmac and replace with the new surface.
“We know how important it is to carry out the work as quickly and safely as possible, and return the pavement to how it previously was."
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