Man injured as concrete manhole cover breaks in Stratford High Street
BLOODIED and bruised. That was the traumatic outcome suffered by a 57-year-old Stratford man after he fell into a manhole that broke open on Stratford’s High Street.
Andrew Meek was left in agony and on the floor for over an hour when a square shaped concrete cover collapsed close to the former Debenhams store.
His mother, Brenda, 76, was with Andrew when the pavement snapped under her son’s feet at 1pm on Tuesday (10th October) and desperately wants to warn others about the dangers they face when walking round town.
“It could have been worse, it could have killed him,” Brenda told the Herald. “The town was very busy that day and there were lots of little children in High Street; what if one of them had fallen into the hole?
“Andrew was very distressed. He was walking in front of me one minute and his leg disappears the next. His leg was cut, bruised and bleeding. I’ve never known anything like it in all my life. The pavement is cracked and faulty, it’s a disgrace.”
Brenda and her husband, John, moved to Stratford in 1988 and care for Andrew, as he has brittle bones and learning difficulties.
On Tuesday, Brenda and Andrew had been heading for a coffee and to pick up a sandwich. Brenda said Andrew likes to get out of his house and socialise, particularly after Covid closed some of the clubs and groups he used to go to.
Brenda added: “It was very embarrassing for him to be flat out on a main street in Stratford. The women in the shoe shop were very kind. They brought out water for him and a seat for me to sit on.
“The police were first on the scene and were very good. They took care of Andrew’s leg wound before the ambulance arrived. He did not want to go to hospital.
“Later some men turned up and put a barrier around the hole.
“I want to warn other people about the pavements because I thought his legs were broken. It’s a dreadful thing to happen.”
Sarah Fernott, who works at shoe shop Ecco, and her colleague went to help Andrew.
“We went out to help because he was so distressed. The police and ambulance were brilliant really. I gave the police a first aid kit to help with the wounds and a seat for the lady to sit down on. We did our best,” said Sarah.
The concrete cover which collapsed was marked with white paint – a common sign that the area was due for repair work.
Other parts of the High Street have also been marked up after issues and trip hazards were raised with Warwickshire County Council.
The council, which is responsible for paths and roads, said:
