Parents fear their kids may fall into an open manhole within the grounds of a Paisley church if it’s not urgently repaired.
The Glenburn mums and dads have raised concerns about the exposed hole at Paisley St George’s Outreach Centre and have warned that parishioners will “break a leg” if church staff don’t have the hole fixed.
Diane Gilbert is concerned that, as the winter nights draw in, someone will get hurt if the hole isn’t repaired properly.
She told Renfrewshire Live: “This is hugely worrying.
“I know of kids that play around there and it’s a worry that they fall in and hurt themselves.
“I remember reading last year that a boy in East Kilbride fell down an open manhole and was badly injured.
“There was a fear he could have died.
“I don’t think this one within the church is as deep as that one, but kids will fall down it and hurt themselves.
“People also cut through the grounds with their dogs, and that hole is big enough for a dog to fall down and hurt itself.
“And I’m also concerned that churchgoers may not see the hole now that it’s darker earlier and they could break a leg or an ankle or something, it’s really not worth thinking about.”
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Diane says that this isn’t the first time the manhole has been left exposed to the elements and that there’s been problems with it for the last 20 years.
She explained: “Every now and then the manhole cover is removed.
“It’s been like that for as long as I can remember and that’s about 20 years.
“I’m unsure who keeps removing it, or why, but the church need to ensure, when it’s been removed, that the area is cordoned off to make it safe for people.
“It also gathers litter and rotten leaves, which will eventually cause a stink.
“I’m told that people have mentioned this to the church, but it’s been lying open for days now with no safety fence or even something like a slab stuck on top.
“It needs to be made safe and to prevent this from happening again, it needs to be repaired properly.”
Renfrewshire Council advised that the church and its grounds are owned by the Church of Scotland, so it doesn’t fall within the council’s remit.
The council also advised on Friday that they would send wardens out to the church to ensure they are aware of the issue.
A Church of Scotland spokesman said: “The congregation is aware of the situation and they are taking steps to ensure that a temporary cover is placed over the hole and a permanent repair is carried out as soon as possible.”
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