From Dr Rob Pocock Labour's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Sutton Coldfield Constituency Sutton Constituency Campaign Centre, 46 Rectory Park Ave, Sutton Coldfield, B75 7BN tel / messages 07767 32 6704 email RobPocock@SuttonMP.org _______________________________________________________________ PETROL STATION OWNERS FACE CENSURE The owners of the abandoned petrol station on the corner of Jockey Road and Goldieslie Road are to be referred to the Health and Safety Executive by Labour's campaign manager for Sutton Coldfield Dr Rob Pocock, owing to the dangerous state of the site. Dr Pocock ran an inspection of the facility in September and again last week following acquisition of the site by new property developers MCB. In the light of the hazardous nature of the premises Dr Pocock confirmed this week he was asking the Health and Safety Executive to consider enforcement action to deal with abandoned and overturned fencing, hazardous concrete blocks and the explosive potential of the underground abandoned fuel tanks. Commenting on the move, Dr Pocock said, "The condition of the site is appalling and in my view it's potentially lethal. It is all the more dangerous to the public as is lies opposite the Sutton Coldfield Girls School and within 50 yards of the Horse and Jockey Pub, where closing time inevitably generates a surge of boisterous individuals easily tempted to mess around with all the stuff lying loose on this land. While the future of the site was uncertain, it was hard to clarify the obligations. Now that the ownership has been clearly assigned to a developer, the land must be classified as a construction site where health and safety protection laws are very tight. The Health and Safety Executive has the job of enforcing public protection and I am now pressing them to take action. The site must be immediately secured and all broken fencing, loose concrete posts and steel panels urgently removed. It's good to see something being done with it at last but it will take months to get building work started. In the meantime the dangers are immediate and have got to be removed before someone gets very seriously hurt" ENDS Dr Pocock is the Labour Party's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Sutton Coldfield Constituency.