Contractors Dowhigh are busy tonight digging up parts of Lord Street less than one year after it was resurfaced.

Many people wanted to see the red tarmac retained but the Council opted for the cheaper black version.

Work is expected to last 4 nights.

Cllr John Fairclough, Cabinet Member for Locality Services, said:”Sefton is a borough on the move and making sure Lord Street’s carriageway is maintained is a key priority for us.”

“Due to the location of the site and the amount of surrounding properties and businesses, we are intending to carry out the works of an evening after 6.30pm to minimise inconvenience and disruption as much as possible.”

It is planned for the night works to end at midnight, followed by a site safety procedure which will be completed on each occasion by 1am.

Pedestrian access to shops and amenities will be available at all times, as well as access for emergency vehicles.

Best get used to it - they will probably be back next year as well!

I drove down Lord Street last night just before 01.00am......Oh my goodness,what a complete and utter mess it now looks....As Dowhigh have dug out and then relaid 2 square patches of the Southbound side of Lord Street opposite The Bold Boutique Hotel,and also by Hill St,just past the pedestrian crossing,both of the patches must be at least 30 square yards in area at least,and Dowhigh have not even used uniform tarmac,and look to have laid a different type,and have also dug out the junction from Neville Street traffic lights across to the Monument to replace the surface by the traffic lights.What a total mess the new surface will look like when these repairs are finished,a disgraceful scene for all to see,and there are to be even more repaired patches like these,all the way up towards Duke St.
The council could have hired a team of travellers to have done a better job than what these bunch of cowboys have done,and would have probably been 50% cheaper as well doing the resurfacing work.
If Dowhigh get away with doing what they have done,then some heads in the Council Highways Department should roll,and need some serious investigating,as to why this company was given the job in the first place,as the people of Southport knew what this companies workmanship was like,from the repair works done by Dowhigh in other areas of the town.As it looks like some people have definitely got MORE money from some backhander dealings in their bank accounts than what should be there before this work was given out to tender,as the council cannot blame any cutbacks for the shoddy work that has been done.

I don't necessarily subscribe to the 'Bootle Mafia' theory, but Sefton aren't half good at shooting themselves in the foot.


Since Sefton abandoned the cafe in The Atkinson, it's been rammed full all day every day.



Southport Market next on the list of disasters.

Surely when contracts for work like the re-surfacing of Lord St are handed out there must be clauses for the standard of work done. Anyone with one iota of common sense only need to walk around Southport to see the standard of Dowhigh's work which if it was done on my property would end up in the County Court.

To keep on getting contracts for this Council someone somewhere is well in, and if Southport Councillors aren't seeking the reason for this Company constantly getting contracts then they are not doing their job.

The vacuous councillor sayeth: ”Sefton is a borough on the move..."


Certainly is, mate, moving up the creek without a paddle.

Originally Posted by Little Londoner

Surely when contracts for work like the re-surfacing of Lord St are handed out there must be clauses for the standard of work done. Anyone with one iota of common sense only need to walk around Southport to see the standard of Dowhigh's work which if it was done on my property would end up in the County Court.

To keep on getting contracts for this Council someone somewhere is well in, and if Southport Councillors aren't seeking the reason for this Company constantly getting contracts then they are not doing their job.

That won't happen! There are numerous dubious contracts that have been issued in Liverpool resulting in unfinished building sites, non-starting building sites, investors seeking to get their money back, broken promises, etc., etc., Lord Street is a mere reflection of that. Time to get some Southport sympathetic, real businessmen on the council.

Just been down Lord St, yes its now worse than it was last Friday!! This contractor is not fit for purpose, its now very bumpy and looks an absolute mess............!

Originally Posted by Lamparilla

Southport Market next on the list of disasters.

It already is a disaster. Suggest you go in and have a good look. Try not to cry before you come so as not to upset the stallholders, what few there are left of them.
Difficult to remember when it was run by Southport Council and prospective sellers actually paid a premium to the exiting stallholder to get in as it was so popular and busy.

Originally Posted by Tallboy

Just been down Lord St, yes its now worse than it was last Friday!! This contractor is not fit for purpose, its now very bumpy and looks an absolute mess............!

It fits in well with the rest of the roads in Southport and Merseyside and the rest of the country thanks to government cutting grants to councils.

Originally Posted by crocodile35

It fits in well with the rest of the roads in Southport and Merseyside and the rest of the country thanks to government cutting grants to councils.

In your dreams "Crocodile", its everything to do with 'bad' contract management and supervision. A lack of professional standards in the job specification being the 1st disaster....

Originally Posted by MargeSimpson

It already is a disaster. Suggest you go in and have a good look. Try not to cry before you come so as not to upset the stallholders, what few there are left of them.
Difficult to remember when it was run by Southport Council and prospective sellers actually paid a premium to the exiting stallholder to get in as it was so popular and busy.

Oh yes, I'm well aware of that! By 'disaster' I meant when Sefton finally bite the bullet and close it down or sell it for pennies. In my view, the only thing preventing them from doing it is political expediency because it will no doubt draw comparisons with their approach to a certain shopping centre in Bootle.

The problem with Local Government is that most decisions are based on short termism. Almost everything is a "quick fix" apart from the level of salaries of course. There's nothing short term about them.

Local Councils are the most inefficient bodies in the country, and there is no incentive for them to change their ways due to having a guaranteed income stream.

these currenr repairs also are the repairs to the other repairs to lord st six weeks after it was previously laid.speaks volumes in my book!

I drove along Lord Street at 7am this morning. I have to say as a Sandgrounder, I was totally embarrassed. Different coloured tarmac of a different consistency, makes Lord Street look like a Chess board. Bloody awful. I do blame Sefton Council. They have not enhanced Lord Street, but dragged it down. An utter disgrace.