Angry residents were forced to stop their children playing outside after builders left dangerous materials lying around.


South Lakeland Housing employed a contractor, Keepmoat, to repair the roofs of 20 houses in Ambleside but ‘miscommunication’ meant hazardous waste was not disposed of, despite there being two empty skips on site.


Piles of wood with nails sticking out of it and sharp fragments of roof tiles were amongst the debris scattered across a field used as a play area by local children living at Kirkfield Rise.


One resident, Nick Kirkham, said: “All the waste has been dumped on the grassy area where local kids play. Timbers with six inch nails sticking out, loose slates unsecured on palates and their own rubbish was also left.

"The mind boggling thing is there are two empty skips! The scaffolding looks like it is overweighted also, piled high with old roofing tiles. It’s an accident waiting to happen.”


John Mansergh, assistant director for business improvement at South Lakes Housing, said: “We apologise that a site miscommunication resulted in building materials being left in an open area of Kirkfield, Ambleside.

"Contractors are currently working on behalf of SLH to carry out roofing works to 20 roofs in the Kirkfield area.

"A local resident contacted us to report this and we visited the site straight away with the contractors involved to sort it out. 

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"The materials have now been cleared and a fenced compound is being erected to ensure that this does not occur again.”