CHILDREN and pets are at risk of falling onto the M3 because of a gaping hole left in a security fence near a well-used park, a concerned resident has said.

Dianne Harrod, a regular user of the Crabtree Plantation, decided to get in contact with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council in December last year when she first noticed that the security fence had been damaged in two places alongside the motorway embankment.

However, she says she has been given the runaround by the council, and nine months later, the issue is still not fixed.

The former civil servant, who moved to Basingstoke in the 1970s, says it is dangerous because dogs or children that go in the area could easily end up falling down the steep embankment, and onto the northbound carriageway of the M3.

“[They are] passing the buck,” she told The Gazette. “They are busy and I understand that but please be professional. I was a civil servant for donkey’s years and you just do your job.

“I left it over lockdown because I couldn’t get up here as you couldn’t park. I just love this place.”

Dianne says that because the dangerous issue has not been fixed by the council, she has decided to take matters into her own hands by warning as many people as she can on her nearly daily walk through the beauty spot.

“Let’s face it, if a dog or a child runs down there a motorist will never forgive themself, and if is not their fault.”

She says she wants the council to “just make it safe”.

Head of Environmental Services at BDBC, Tom Payne, said: “During a site visit yesterday it was found that there was a gap in a fence between a field at Crabtree Plantation and the M3, likely caused by vandalism.

“Officers are set to carry out works today to ensure that the gap in the fence is blocked off. Following this, a permanent repair for the fence will be arranged as soon as possible.”

HCC did not respond when contacted.