National Grid has apologised after damage was caused during works near Blidworth war memorial.
The memorial, which stands on the corner of Main Street and Beck Lane in Blidworth, was unveiled in 2007 and features the names of the soldiers who died.
In February, work done by National Grid to the electricity network in the village, near Mansfield, left the grass and cobbled stairs near the monument damaged.
At a meeting of Blidworth’s Parish Council on July 16, council chair Tom Smith said: “Western Power (National Grid) have, in their attempted repairs, made (the memorial) look awful. We’re not at all happy with what they’ve done to it.
“I’ve [written] them a very snarky letter as chair of the parish council, saying we expect it to be put back exactly as it was, we don’t expect to put any money towards it and we expect them to pull their finger out and get it done.”
The work that took place was to restore power supplies to customers following a fault in the network.
But immediately after it was completed, residents raised concerns with the parish council about how the area looked.
National Grid was contacted immediately to ensure that the cobbles and grass were reinstated, according to minutes from a February meeting of the council.
The electricity supplier was told to reinstate the grass and to put the path back to its original condition – or, if that wasn’t possible, to renew the whole path.
But by April, nothing had been completed.
Minutes say: “The grass requires solid ground work with top soil and the turf reinstating. The path needs immediate attention and replacing.”
In early June, the council’s clerk updated members that the council groundsman had been in contact with National Grid again – as work was meant to begin at the end of May, but hadn’t.
Then, at a meeting on June 4 between the council and National Grid, it was said that the work would be completed by the week after.
But by the July meeting, while work to the grass had been completed, still the steps had not been reinstated.
Temporary measures have since been put in place.
Cllr Smith told residents at the July 16 meeting: “If you see the war memorial (as it is), that is a temporary fix and we don’t intend for it to stay like that and we are as cross as you are about that.”
A National Grid Electricity Distribution spokesperson said: “Earlier this year, we carried out emergency repairs on the electricity network in Blidworth to restore power supplies to customers following a fault. This work required excavation around Blidworth War Memorial, including nearby paving and verges.
“We recognise that the standard of the reinstatement was not good enough. We are working with the council and our contractor to source the appropriate materials and will return to complete the work as soon as possible.
“We understand how important the war memorial is to the local community and thank residents for their patience while we finalise plans to restore the area.”
By Joseph Connolly, Local Democracy Reporter.