A MAN says he suffered injuries after falling down a trench which had been unguarded.

Umar Shah hurt the palms of his hands and his leg after falling into the hole on Monday evening which he claims had not been barricaded.

Mr Shah fell down the trench which had been dug near to Jonny Park, off Oakenhurst Road in Blackburn.

Electricity North West (ENW)said it had carried out work on 220 metres of new underground cable after its nearby substation was badly damaged.

But Mr Shah, who lives in Whalley Range, Blackburn, said that health and safety had not been taken into consideration and that street lights in the area weren’t working.

He said: “I was going for a regular walk in Blackburn towards Aldi using the back roads near Jonny Park.

“The street lights were not working so visibility was very por.

“Walking in the little-to-no visibility I fell into the trench.

Mr Shah said he has complained to ENW about the matter.

He added: “This area was not barricaded or covered in any way.

“Health and safety was not taken into consideration for the public which to me is disgusting and appalling.”

Louise Hall, delivery manager for ENW, said that keeping its customers and engineers safe was paramount.

She said: “Due to major third party damage to our substation in Blackburn last week, which caused the loss of power to more than 2,500 customers, we are putting in place 220 metres of new underground cable.

“We’re investing more than £100,000 to ensure all local customers and businesses receive a safe and reliable power supply. To safely carry out this work we have to dig up the road and our engineers have been on site each day ensuring the area is safe and fully compliant.

“Keeping our customers and our engineers safe is paramount and we’re on hand 24/7 to speak to any of our customers who have any concerns about this essential work. Customers can contact us online at www.enwl.co.uk, or on social media, or by calling the free 105 number.”

Blackburn with Darwen Council were unavailable for comment.