Concerns over ‘dangerous’ site of Horsham Openreach junction box

Dad-of-four Alex Allen says that the box - at the end of the driveway to his home in Coolham Road - obscures the view of oncoming traffic.

“It’s really dangerous,” he said. However, Openreach say they have now inspected the site and are satisfied it is safe.

But Alex said: “The road is a 60mph speed zone, When we exit the driveway, there’s a brow of a hill and we don’t see oncoming traffic until the last minute.

“It’s worse when engineers are attending to the boxes with the doors open and we have no clear view of the road at all.

“When the boxes are open we can’t see oncoming speeding vehicles. And it’s also dangerous for engineers when they are working less than a metre away from the roadside with no protection.”

He said he had been complaining to Openreach about the siting of the box ‘every month’ for about a year.

He said he had also asked Openreach to move the box five metres round the corner where there was a small cul-de-sac with ample room, he says, for the box and engineers to work, but nothing had been done.

He said he feared for both his elderly in-laws coming in and out of the driveway of his home and for the safety of his wife and children.

A spokesman for Openreach said: An Openreach spokesperson said, “Our local Manager, Survey Manager and Head of Plant Safety have surveyed this cabinet and all agree that it is legally sited. We have investigated all aspects of safety and are satisfied that it is safe for use by our engineers. It was installed in line with all requirements from relevant bodies including the Highways Agency and the local authority and in our view, does not obscure the view for road users.”