Supermarket giant slammed over its eyesore fencing in Leighton Buzzard
Councillors have written to the boss of Morrisons over fencing they say is potentially dangerous and an eyesore.
The fence, which runs alongside Morrisons store in Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, has been in a state of disrepair for over 12 months.
Councillors have complained the broken fencing has led to an increase in fly-tipping but say nothing had been done. So they have taken the matter ‘to the top’ .
Lib Dem Councillor Chris Leaman said: “We have written to Morrisons chief executive, Rami Baitiéh, about the fence that is both potentially dangerous and an eyesore.
"Morrisons is a multi-billion pound business that made a profit of over £800million last year, I don't understand how they can't fix a fence. We have raised this several times in person and via their customer services department but no action is forthcoming. The store manager has been trying but doesn't seem to be getting the support they need, so we have had no choice but to take this to the top.”
Mr Leaman described the fence as an absolute eyesore and that there had been an increase in fly-tipping in the area with rubbish dumped next to the broken pieces. He said it also posed a danger to small children ‘being able to drop down on to the access road where lorries enter and exit the supermarket'.
The letter to Morrisons states: “We are writing to you regarding a longstanding issue with a fence that runs along a footpath next to your store in Leighton Buzzard. The fence is the responsibility of Morrisons to maintain but has been in a state of disrepair for well over 12 months and has got considerably worse during that time. It is an eyesore and does your business no credit for leaving it this way.
“The fence also has an important safety aspect to it, preventing small children from accessing the adjacent service road to the store which has HGVs travelling on it continually.
“We understand that the store manager has been investigating repairing the fence and would appreciate your support to fix this longstanding problem in our town.”
The letter was signed by Emma Holland-Lindsay, Chris Leaman, and Shaun Roberts, Lib Dem councillors for Leighton-Linslade South Central Bedfordshire Council.
A spokesperson for Morrisons said: "We apologise for the delay and recognise the concerns raised. We are working hard to try and resolve this issue as quickly as possible with our maintenance partners.”