Residents living by the M6 in Wood Lane, Short Heath, Willenhall contacted Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Shires this morning asking for help to get the Highways Agency to provide some respite from the continual noise they are being subjected to since the environmental fence was removed as part of the M6 Traffic Management Project.

The Highways Agency say that the fence needs to be removed to allow contractors to carry out work on the Hard shoulder of the motorway in safety. “I can understand the health and safety issues” said Ian, “but some thought has to be given to the residents, the contractors can go home at the end of the working day, residents have to live with the effects of having no environmental fence for 24hrs a day 7 days a week” said Ian.

What makes matters worse is that the Highways Agency can not give an accurate time scale for the work to be completed. “The potential for serious issues having to be dealt with on this stretch of the M6 northbound between Wood Lane and the Lichfield Road have been flagged up for some time” said Ian, “It’s high time that the Highways Agency put the needs of the residents first and if this means reducing the motorway to one lane and reinstating the environmental fence to take into account the needs of the residents and the health and safety requirements of the contractors then so be it.”

Ian has been out to see first hand the conditions the residents are experiencing and has relayed his observations to the Local Authority and Carillion, (the contractors carrying out the works). “This whole stretch of works between Wood Lane and the Lichfield Road, to put it bluntly is a complete dogs breakfast” he concluded.