A householder is facing the possibility of a large bill to pay for temporary traffic lights put in place two months ago to deal with a landslip.
The owner of a house at Taylor Hill may end up having to pay for the hire of the traffic lights as well as the repair work to the landslip which affected his wall and garden.
The cost is rising by an estimated several hundred pounds every week because Kirklees Council had to hire temporary traffic lights and had to cover the cost of staff to man the Woodhead Road site.
Work has yet to take place on the banking and wall which collapsed at the beginning of April, leading to weeks of misery and delays for motorists using the busy Holme Valley route.
The Examiner asked Kirklees Council if a start date for repairs had been agreed but the council has yet to reply.
The final bill for hire of the traffic lights and repair of the wall/banking is expected to be over £10,000 but could be more depending on the length of the delay, it is believed.
It is not known if the final cost will be covered by the Taylor Hill Road householder – who could not be contacted for comment – or if his insurer will pick up the bill.
Local councillor Andrew Cooper said he was doing everything he could to help the householder whose land had been affected by the landslip.
“I am trying to speed up things and get Kirklees Highways to be more proactive, to see what they can do about getting it fixed.
“The longer it takes, the bigger the bill because of the traffic lights. Every week that goes by adds to the cost. I am trying to help the householder.”
He added: “It’s the householder’s responsibility because the land has slipped on his land.
“It’s a difficult problem finding ways to make it easier for the householder. These things can happen to any of us. The council has got to be as helpful as it can.”
Clr Cooper said he hadn’t been told of a starting date for repair works.
A spokesman for Kirklees Council said various options were being considered to allow works on the wall to take place.
Karl Battersby, the council’s strategic director for economy and infrastructure said: “We are in contact with the owner who has responsibility for repairing the wall.
“Together we are exploring a number of options that will allow works to the wall to take place so that the temporary arrangements can be removed.”
