FAMILIES were left outraged after a broken manhole cover left a dangerous hole in a Westcliff pavement.

A resident raised the alarm after he noticed the alarming hole while walking down West Street, near the junction with Hamlet Court Road.

The 57-year-old man, who has asked not to be named, said: “I was walking along the road and I stopped an elderly lady from falling down this huge hole which had appeared in the walkway.

“I reported it immediately but nobody seemed that bothered about it and I was told it could take up to five days to get someone out to repair it.

“What if it was night time? A serious incident could happen. I would hate to think of what could take place if someone doesn’t see it and fell down.

“It could cause a serious injury.”

The manhole, which is used by Open Reach, a branch of BT, to access the phone lines, was initially covered by tarmac, but that surface had given way and left a large, deep and dangerous hole.

The Echo made enquiries to Open Reach about the hole and, as a result, contractors were sent to the site to assess the damage on Friday afternoon.

A spokesman for Open Reach said: “Thank-you for making us aware of this.

“An engineer visited on Friday afternoon to make the site safe and we will arrange for the manhole to be replaced as soon as possible.”

The pedestrian also thanked the Echo for helping get the problem resolved.

He added: “In this day and age, we shouldn’t just be waiting for something bad to happen before we sort something out.

“Someone could have been put in hospital if they hadn’t seen it - it should be treated as an emergency because it’s a hazard.

“I am glad it is going to get sorted. I have seen they have been down and put some cones around it - so hopefully nobody will fall down it before it gets completely fixed.”

To report a fault with an Open Reach manhole cover, visit www.openreach.com/help-and-support/when-to-get-in-touch-with-openreach