MORE than 100 fed-up residents have signed a petition calling for roads in Beggarwood to be adopted by the county council.

Residents living on the new estate say they have suffered problems trying to arrange repairs to roads and street lights because they are still owned by developer Taylor Wimpey.

Mary Stevens, of Herriard Place, Beggarwood, started the petition, having lived in the area for six years.

The 46-year-old said: “Going around with the petition, I’m not the only person who has tried and failed to have things fixed. Most residents are in agreement that it’s a nightmare.

“The roads are broken and need fixing and we are paying council tax, which includes roads, but the council can’t fix them because they are still owned by the developer. Lights also need fixing but the council can’t touch them either because they don’t own them.”

New roads need to be adopted by the local authority for repair work to be carried out by them – otherwise the responsibility lies with the developer. Ms Stevens said some of the roads in Beggarwood have remained unadopted for years.

She added: “New houses are built but no one cares for the roads and pavements. It’s a nightmare.”

The mother-of-two said there had also been problems near the Co-operative shop, off Broadmere Road, with people parking along the roads nearby, which do not have double yellow lines because these too cannot be painted by the county council. She also said various street lights had broken, and added: “There’s a whole block where the lights are out and a neighbour told me that he tripped and fell and broke his glasses.

“I had kids chucking mud at my house because they know people can’t see them and the police rushed down one day because someone had been attacked in the footpath. People pay a lot of money for these houses but the area isn’t being looked after.”

The petition, which refers to the unadopted roads in Beggarwood, including Forfield Drive, Herri-ard Place, Broadmere Road and Honeyleaze, will be passed to Hampshire County Council.

A spokesman for Taylor Wimpey said: “Taylor Wimpey is actively pursuing the adoption of the roads. If there are any concerns by the residents in the meantime, Taylor Wimpey requests they get in touch to resolve the problem.”

Councillor Mel Kendal, executive member for environment at Hampshire County Council, said there is no agreement in place for the roads to be adopted.

He added: “We have inspected the condition of the roads and it has been proposed that they are adopted in the future. But as Taylor Wimpey has ownership of the roads in question, it is not within our power to take this forward, since the developer must first offer the roads for adoption."