This is the moment council workmen resurfaced a road and laid tarmac – around a PARKED CAR.
Stunned residents watched as workmen dug up the 300ft (91m) road but left a neat rectangular island around an abandoned grey Fiat.
Workmen decided to resurface the road after failing to locate the owner of the car, which was left on St George’s Square in Worcester.
One resident said: ”It’s utter madness. I couldn’t believe the workmen started resurfacing the road around the car.
”When the car is finally moved the road will look ridiculous.
”The workmen obviously couldn’t be bothered to wait for the owner to return and just ploughed on regardless.”
Worcestershire County Council warned residents last Thursday about a two-day operation to re-lay the road which was last done 25 years ago.
But when workmen showed up for work on Tuesday they discovered the parked Fiat Punto at the side of the road.
Instead of trying to track down the driver, workmen started digging up the road and rolling it flat except for a 10ft by 6ft rectangle around the car.
Residents on St George’s Square say the new car was left outside a house two-and-a-half weeks ago and is not owned by a local resident.
Alastair Graham, 65, a retired chartered surveyor, who has lived on the square for 24 years with wife Patricia, said: ”We get plenty of people parking up here because it is 10 minutes walk to the station let alone to the city centre.
”We have no idea who this car belongs to.”
Worcestershire County Council defended their decision to work around the car and said workmen will simply fill in the gap at a later date.
A spokesman said: ”Powers exist to deal with vehicles causing an obstruction but it’s very rare we have to use them.
”It won’t cost any more to fill in the last patch of tarmac at a later date.”
West Mercia Police confirmed they are sending a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) to the registered keeper’s address after failing to get their phone number.
Inspector Janet Heritage said: ”As the registered keeper is local, I have asked one of my CSO’s to go around to the address and ask that they move the vehicle.
”This should address the issue.”
As a resident of this street I think I should correct a few errrors in this story. First the article says the workmen couldn’t be bothered to move the car – this was not the case, but they were not permitted to do so for risk of being sued if they had damaged it. The police and local council were unwilling to have the vehicle moved, and tried contacting the owner unsuccessfully. At the time the photograph was taken only the bottom coat of tarmac had been applied, and as the vehicle was still on the original tarmac it was in fact slightly higher. Late that evening the owner moved the vehicle, and first thing the next morning the contractors were able to finish off the job properly. The only inconvenience was to the workmen themselves who had to work carefully around this vehicle so as not to damage it. They did a fantastic job. The council had put up warning notices some 4 week before hand, admittedly fairly small ones, and the proper large “Road Closed” signs appeared the week before. It would seem that this car doesn’t get used much and so the owner missed the warnings – it was also the only car in the road some 2 weeks before when the road was closed off and used for the local church fete (as it is every year).