Déjà vu tarmac

Back in the day, when I was editing Macclesfield Community News, we were given a lead to a story involving tarmac.

It was alleged that Macclesfield College had been approached by one of the itinerant tarmacking gangs that operated seasonally in the area.

The story went that they’d told the principal that they had a ‘lorry load left over from a motorway job’ and could patch up the college driveway.

Having completed the job they requested a rather large sum of money, in cash.

As no one had though to secure a written quotation, and those requesting payment were rather intimidating, there was no option but to pay.

It was only after paying the bill – alleged to have been several thousand pounds – that the work was inspected and found to be . . . how can I say . . . rather ‘wanting’.

I did approach the College at the time but was unable to get a confirmation, or more importantly a denial – so although we were confident it had happened, without a confirmation the story never made the paper.

I was reminded of this today when I had cause to drive up Hurdsfield Road over a section of re-tarmacked road.

The barriers to prevent access had only gone up first thing this morning yet within a few hours the job had been completed and the workmen moved on.

Click on images to enlarge

To describe the remedial work as ‘wanting’ is again an understatement – and I have to wonder if Cheshire East is using the same gang that were alleged to have sorted the College driveway.

What do you think?