THE council’s work on rebuilding a crumbling wall has been ridiculed by a Birch Hill resident.

Last month the News revealed how Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) forked out more than £1,500 to lay 35 new bricks in order to build up the wall in September 2017.

The council claims the work done made the wall “aligned, safe and serviceable” despite acknowledging residents suggestions repairs were not carried out “to an acceptable standard”.

Photos of the back of the wall show space in between the bricks is not completely filled by mortar.

Contractors also left rubble and a tree stump in the space behind the wall instead of discarding them.

Neighbour Max White has questioned how the council could have approved the repair work, telling the News: “It is pathetic.

“They did not clean up afterwards - this is an embarrassment.

“It is scandalous they passed this. They can’t get away with this.”

Mr White had repaired much of the wall himself before asking the council to lay the remaining 35 bricks to complete the work.

The council then contracted construction company Kier Group, but the work was undertaken by sub-contractors Finney UK Ltd, a Surrey-based construction firm commissioned by Kier Group to complete the rebuild.

Emails seen by the News showed concerns were raised by councillor Sandra Ingham about the quality of work less than a month after the wall was rebuilt.

Cllr Ingham acknowledged the “poor quality of the work” undertaken and how “whilst at first glance it looked mended, on closer inspection the shoddy workmanship was shocking… the bricks are only half cemented in place.”

She added: “If we have paid a contractor to do this work please complain and ask them to redo it as no extra cost using appropriate materials, clearing up after them and cementing the bricks firmly in place.

“The bricks are sandfaced when the rest of the wall is made of double diamond bricks. The sandfaced bricks will weather on the first frost and start to crumble.

“We should take more pride in our work as residents are left thinking we do not care. Even the surrounding area was not cleaned afterwards.”

Information sent to Mr White via a freedom of information request showed Kier accepted the subcontracted work was not to their “required standard”.

In July 2018 Cllr Ingham wrote in an email that director Vincent Paliczka “agrees the brick matching is poor”, but added how he believed the site “all looked safe”.

The director himself then emailed Mr White, seemingly accepting the quality of the work done on the wall.

He wrote: “...the council sought and received a legitimate estimate for the work and it was completed, albeit not to an ideal standard which would in any case be difficult to achieve with the new bricks required.”

But speaking to the News in November 2018, Cllr Ingham echoed the council's views on the work undertaken at the wall in Birch Hill, saying: “The council is happy with Kier and the standard they have set.

“It looks safe and serviceable.

“I work hard for my residents. If there is something I can help them with in any way I will do that.”

However, Max White claimed the work was a “massive embarrassment to an award-winning council” in an email to councillors, and neighbour Nicola Goddard told the News in 2018: “They (the sub-contractors) just came out for two hours and left a mess. They were very shoddy.

“There’s just no pride in what they’re doing.”

Bracknell Forest Council declined to add further comment.

Councillor Sandra Ingham has been contacted for further comment.