Parents living by canal call for safety measures

8:20pm Saturday 28th July 2012 in News By Neil Watts

GATED: Julie Davis beside the makeshift gate erected by parents living at Robert Owen Court in an effort to stop their children getting too close to the canal. 27080801 Buy this photo » GATED: Julie Davis beside the makeshift gate erected by parents living at Robert Owen Court in an effort to stop their children getting too close to the canal. 27080801

WORRIED parents are calling for more to be done to prevent an accident at their canal-side homes in Worcester. People living at Robert Owen Court in the St Paul’s area of the city have fashioned a temporary wooden gate between their flats and the canal to keep their young children safe while playing outside.

They now want Worcester Community Housing (WCH), which manages the properties, to take action to make the area even safer by installing a permanent metal gate.

Mother-of-three Julie Davis said they either want to see another gate put up or for the canal to be maintained to remove the danger of falling into the water.

She said: “I’m concerned it’s an accident waiting to happen – one day it will go wrong. We want to stop them from running up to the canal.

“The grass is really long and if a kid ran up to it they would fall in because they can’t see it is water.

“If they fell in by the reeds we wouldn’t have a chance to get them.”

A spokesman for WCH said previous investment had already improved the area – and the ultimate responsibility for child safety lay with parents.

“We have invested significantly in this area over the last two years, particularly in environmental and safety improvements,” he said. “We consulted widely with residents, advising them that we would invest in areas of concern although budgets would not allow us to do everything we wanted to do. “All residents agreed to the proposals and we have had some very positive comments about the improvements we have made. Naturally we are disappointed that not all of our customers are totally satisfied with the outcome.

“We do however feel that the overall environment has improved significantly.

“Families have lived in the vicinity of the canal for a number of generations and it has always been the responsibility of families to ensure that their children play safely and under supervision at all times.”

Comments(13)

jb says...
8:51pm Sat 28 Jul 12

“Families have lived in the vicinity of the canal for a number of generations and it has always been the responsibility of families to ensure that their children play safely and under supervision at all times.”
This just goes to show the modern day attitude of some parents, let your kids loose and let someone else take rsponsibility!

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daffy says...
9:19pm Sat 28 Jul 12

agree jb,

thing with most parents these days is they don't teach their children boundaries, you see them on the bus being let loose to run and jump around, they let them play in streets where there are cars and they wonder why we are not a child friendly country. anybody who thinks otherwise - take your blinkers off.

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Biggles says...
9:34pm Sat 28 Jul 12

Agree with the above, whoever bred them, should raise them !

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Biggles says...
9:39pm Sat 28 Jul 12

Agree with the above, whoever bred them, should raise them !

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daffy says...
9:56pm Sat 28 Jul 12

Biggles wrote:
Agree with the above, whoever bred them, should raise them !
thank you biggles this has made me smile

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Joe the Tug says...
11:04pm Sat 28 Jul 12

First point I hope this structure that they have constructed does not impede emergency and medical services gaining access.

Second point, teach your children about the dangers of water.

Third point. Supervise and look after your own children.

Finally speaking as a boater on the canal.... Stop them throwing stones, bottles and whatever they lay their hands on at the boats.

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Saturn V says...
12:48am Sun 29 Jul 12

If your kids are old enough to be left to play outside then teach them to swim.
Canals are shallow, have no current and aren't very wide.

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Saturn V says...
1:00am Sun 29 Jul 12

oh and daffy, I disagree with every point you made.

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Jabbadad says...
10:59am Sun 29 Jul 12

Also those who made and erected that fence will possibly be responsible now under Health & Safety until WCH take responsibility.
But I agree teach the little beggars to swim, we had to go to the Old Parks swimming pool which was NOT HEATED.

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Hwicce says...
12:46pm Sun 29 Jul 12

If the kids can't safely be let out then the parents shouldn't be letting them out. Stop trying to pass the buck to someone else.

I hope no child gets a splinter off your new "gate" as you are now liable for any injuries....

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ali0268 says...
2:46pm Sun 29 Jul 12

I agree Daffy Alot of parents don`t seem to bother what there kids get upto these days out of sight out of mind for many, 22 years ago i knocked a little 3/4year old off his bike through no fault of mine, i had just turned into the street near the Goodrest Pub and he came flying out of Belmont Street following his older brother who was only about 6 onto the car park, i saw the younger one and breaked at the same time as swerving to miss him but he carried on and i hit him ,thankfully he was ok i was more shook up than him and i was 8mths pregnant A lovely man took me and the children down to the mother who lived along way down the road, and all she said was I told you to watch him to the 6yr old neither of them had any road sense what-so-ever, she didn`t even ask if i was ok if there was any damage to the car nothing,

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Vox populi says...
9:34am Tue 31 Jul 12

Good to see common sense still exists in Worcester. They are yours, look after them or don't have them.

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jabroner says...
7:27pm Tue 31 Jul 12

I wondered where my bed frame had gone...

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