Man’s fury as “ridiculous” construction work leaves mud tracks for homes

A man has told of his fury at the “ridiculous” construction work taking place outside his home. Neil Metcalfe claims he has to “track through mud” to get to his house.

It has gotten so bad that, despite living happily in his house for 13 years, he has “thought about moving” because of the frustration.

The new houses are being built on a green area in Leeds. Neil told LeedsLive that houses were built in the same area previously but were demolished years ago and the site has been vacant ever since.

Now, however, the grassy area has become a construction site, which will soon be filled with houses. The 53-year-old said: “It started two or three months ago. To get to my property, and others in the area, you have to walk on mud to get there. Your clothes, shoes and my car are left covered in mud. .” There are three schools near the area and a local lick lady has said that children walking home are at risk.

Neil, who lives in the area with his wife, added: “Children have to walk through it too. There are schools within a three mile radius of the building work and to get onto the property it is not suitable for school children.

“When you wake up in the morning, there are 10 or 12 trucks outside. I feel claustrophobic in my home. When I look out the window, all I see is bricks.”

He added: “The construction company has also taken loads of land – there’s nowhere for children to play anymore.” Neil added that he has spoken to other families living in the area who he claims have shared the same concerns.

“Something has to be done”, he added. Neil said he has approached both the building developers and Leeds City Council on a number of occasions to report the problem.

Neil added: “I’ve approached the builders a few times. They’ve said there’s nothing they can do about it.”

A spokesman for the developer, Keepmoat, said: “We have a dedicated road sweeper for this site which continuously sweeps for 4-5 hours per day, on a loop which includes Rathmell Road, Kendal Drive, Carden Ave and Neville Road.

“We also have a second road sweeper on Tuesdays and Thursdays which only concentrates on Kendal Drive. While the road sweeper has a specific loop that it sticks to, if there is extra mud on the road, or tracks into other roads, it will also sweep these areas.

“The initial works on site are the most difficult time to deal with material tracked onto the roads and this is made more difficult by the winter weather. These works are carefully managed to ensure the least possible disruption to residents.”

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “After liaising with the developer, Leeds City Council will continue to monitor the mud issue going forward and take the necessary action if necessary.”