I UNDERSTAND that budgets are probably very tight within CART at the moment, but this recent 'opportunity' made me laugh, writes John Howard.
A Great Linford resident apparently contacted CaRT last week to report that a large crater had appeared in the bank side at Linford Wharf. The hole was about two feet deep and 18" in diameter.
Made the site safe
A few days later he received an email from CaRT thanking him for reporting the hazard and informing him that a team had now made the site safe.
We just happened to be passing by with our dogs and exchanged pleasantries with the reporter of the hazard.
He was somewhat bemused to see that 'making the site safe' had been achieved by pushing four bits of stick into the ground (seemingly retrieved from the nearby hedge) and wrapped with red and white hazard tape (see attached picture).
Wildlife 'opportunity'
There is a similar hole in the bank close to a bridge hole out towards Grafton Regis (although this had been similarly spiked but this time with more appropriate steel builder's fence spikes). This hole has been there for at least a year, so it made me wonder if our environmentally focussed CaRT are hoping that the four sticks used at Linford might take root over the next year, creating a new wildlife 'opportunity' to cover the current gaping hole.
If, in the intervening period, someone falls down the hole at Great Linford I'm sure their personal injuries solicitor will have a field day with CaRTs current solution to the hazard!