Shahid vows to take Earlsheaton fight to top
16 August 2007
Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik has called a high level meeting with Yorkshire Water chiefs in Westminster in an attempt to help ease what Mr Malik describes as "the traffic nightmare" that the company's improvement works have caused to residents in Earlsheaton.
The MP met with residents last week and pledged his support in their campaign against the use of Long Lane and Headland Lane by HGV's and is to meet with Yorkshire Water chairman John Napier at a breakfast meeting next week at Parliament. Dozens of lorries use the route every day to access the Mitchell Laithes water treatment works - the scene of a £25m development by Yorkshire Water - leaving local residents in fear of their safety on the narrow roads.
The Labour MP has given residents his full support: "It is unacceptable that the residents have to bare the full force of the traffic related to this development when there may well be alternatives available which are both viable and realistic. I will be meeting with the chair of Yorkshire Water, John Napier, and will impress upon him the need to look closely at alternative scenarios that will lighten the impact of the construction work on residents of Earlsheaton. In the space of an hour this morning I have seen for myself the devastating effect that this volume of traffic is having on the lives of local residents. They have my word that if there is a solution, I will find it."
Long Lane resident Andy Talbot said: "Mr Malik and Councillor Firth both took the time to personally visit the area and to speak and to listen to the concerns of local residents. Whilst there, within minutes they witnessed first hand the chaos, the ongoing danger, the unsuitable vehicles and the disruption being caused. It is a pity that no-one directly involved in the decision making about this inappropriate access route has felt fit to do the same."
Councillor Paul Kane said: "We are working closely with Highways Officers to find an alternative to this chaos. We are putting pressure on this Tory administration to get Yorkshire Water to do what is right for the people of this area. If that means building another bridge across the Calder, then build it we will."
Councillor Eric Firth was also at the meeting with local residents: "We discussed with them possible solutions and the ideas we had already put forward to the present administration. I have been working with local residents on this issue for some time and they can be assured they have my full support and now the full support of our local MP Mr Malik. No doubt the speed at which Yorkshire Water responded to the request for a meeting was partially due to Shahid's appointment as a minister. It's clear that his new role is working well for Dewsbury and Mirfield."