A NINE-year-old girl has suffered injuries after apparently falling down a manhole in Monmouth.

Matthew Macdonald-Wallace’s three daughters were playing near Lancaster Way, Monmouth when nine-year-old Lily ran across the top of the manhole. The entire manhole cover including the frame then allegedly pivoted above the hole, pitching Lily an estimated four feet down into the drain itself and leaving her with bruising and a cut to her neck.

Mr Macdonald-Wallace said: “I discovered my daughter crying about her experience, with bruises to her chest and legs, and a cut to her throat.

“Upon inspection, it was clear that the manhole was unsafe. The concrete had corroded and broken away around the frame, and it was easy to tilt the entire manhole cover well past 45 degrees.”

Mr Macdonald-Wallace notified Monmouthshire County Council’s (MCC) helpdesk at around 4pm and was told that a team would be dispatched as fast as possible. Lily was taken to see the family’s GP and Mr Macdonald-Wallace rang back the helpdesk at approximately 4.25pm requesting further details on the content of the water in the drain. The helpdesk were reportedly not able to provide this information and when they tried to contact the relevant department, that department had already closed for the day.

Mr Macdonald-Wallace added: “When my wife drove back from the GP at around 5pm, no action had been taken despite the helpdesk advising that it had been passed on as an emergency call.

“At around 5.25pm I decided to go down and see if I could secure it to avoid any further injuries to other people or animals, and found that someone had placed four traffic cones around the manhole and a ‘men at work’ notice on top of the cover.

“It is my opinion that this was insufficient protection from injury for the manhole cover given the severe state of disrepair”.

Since the incident proper barriers have been constructed around the manhole while the issue is resolved.

MCC was yet to comment as the Beacon went to print.