A pair of Hoppers Crossing residents are furious after works to lay fibre cables ruined their naturestrips and driveways.
Monteath Crescent resident Bill Woodall and Frank Grech, who lives at Hogans Road, are among residents whose naturestrips and driveways were torn up last month when a telecommunications company was laying new underground cables.
The pair said that they were never notified about the works and were unimpressed to find that their naturestrips had been left with soil and rocks the size of golf balls.
Mr Woodall said when he contacted Wyndham council to complain, a thin layer of topsoil was added.
“We want the rocks cleared up,” he said.
“If you go over this with your mower and you hit a rock, it could fly out and hit a window or passerby.”
Mr Grech’s naturestrip was also ripped up during the works, as well as a portion of his driveway, which has since been filled in with gravel.
Mr Grech said he had been told the concrete would be replaced but had not been told when.
“I’ve raked the naturestrip twice already and it’s still full of stones,” Mr Grech said.
“I can’t mow along here – it’s suicidal. It’s very annoying when you try to look after your stuff and they muck it up.”
Wyndham council chief executive Kelly Grigsby said the works had not been undertaken by, or on behalf of, the council.
“The works were undertaken on behalf of a telecommunications carrier,” Ms Grigsby said.
She said the requirements of the Telecommunications Act 1997 did not stipulate that telcos were required to obtain consent from councils.
“However, there are obligations under the act, including doing as little damage as possible and restoring land similar to its original condition,” Ms Grigsby said. “Wyndham council will be writing to the contractor to revisit the site.”
She said there was a requirement under the legislation that land be restored “similar to its original condition”.
