Stoke-on-Trent residents demand end to sagging road saga

Boatman Drive is technically closed but some residents are still choosing to park on their driveways

Residents frustrated by a three-year wait for their sagging street to be repaired have said they "just want it sorting out".

Cracks first appeared on Boatman Drive in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, in 2019.

After a report published on Thursday, the council said decisions about repairs would not be made until 2023.

It thanked residents for their patience however some living on the street have started ignoring the closure and parking cars outside their homes.

"The parking was an issue - so they've not really left us much choice," 30-year-old Sarah Khan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"It's taken way too long, and another issue is if you need an ambulance it would be quite hard to get help.

"If everyone else is [parking on their driveway] then we are as well."

A report published on Thursday said repairs to the road would be complex

Stoke-on-Trent City Council said anyone ignoring the road closure was "liable to legal enforcement action" and was "putting themselves and their passengers at an unknown risk".

After cracks appeared, the surface and pavement began to sag, promoting the road closure.

The report into the collapsed road said repair works would be complex due to the built-up area, buried service networks, access arrangements and land ownership problems.

The council said it would monitor Boatman Drive for a further six weeks, after which it hopes to make a decision as to whether to reopen the road.

"The local geology is made up of soft mudstone used in the ceramics industry," a spokesperson said.

"With that in mind, at this stage, we are moving with caution."

Residents said they just want the situation to finally be resolved.

"We are not happy with what is happening," said 59-year-old Abdul Chowdry. "We just want it sorting out."