RESIDENTS of Walldown Road have been left stuck in the mud after contractors left the verges of the road damaged and eroded. The land is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and should therefore be protected from damage. However, Hampshire County Council (HCC) failed to notify the contractors of the protected status of the land. Concerned resident, Claire Rowe said: "It used to be a nice leafy country road but now it looks like a battle field. Not only is it an eyesore, but the erosion of the verge is a danger to pedestrians, as there is no foot path and many people out walking along this stretch. "Someone must have an obligation to make this bad job a good one, and we hope it is done quicky. Some topsoil was dumped but has been eroded away and no grass seed appears to have been sown. It never used to look like this." A spokesman for Hampshire County Council told The Herald: "We weren't aware of the SINC status when Thames Water undertook the job. There are hundreds of areas such as this one, that have not been formally recognised as SINCs. "HCC does not have an obligation to inform contractors, but we will take measures to ensure that this doesn't happen again. We are looking into providing a map for all contractors that details the areas of protected land." Thames Water, although it was not told about the sensitive nature of the site, have agreed to donate £150 towards the costs of the town's biodiversity action plan for wildlife. A HCC engineer is due to make a site visit shortly, in order to assess the damage and how best to repair it.
