ANGRY residents have voiced their opposition to plans for taxpayers to fund the cost of filling in a huge drainage pond - which was created by two councillors without planning permission.

At a heated Moresby Parish Council meeting on Monday evening, furious villagers called on the authority’s chairman and clerk to resign, and pushed for safety devices to be installed at the pond until it is filled in.

The eight-foot deep hole near Moresby play park was created by Councillors Kyle and Ian Thornley, who spent thousands of pounds on works to dig up the land, in the hope of draining water from the nearby allotments.

After Copeland Council issued Moresby Parish Council with a planning contravention notice, councillors voted in favour of restoring the land to its original state at the last meeting.

Worried residents raised concerns over child safety and who should pay for the works before members considered tenders for the works at the latest parish council meeting.

One member of the public said: “It’s got a bit of rope around it. If any kid gets in, there’s a death on your hands.”

Another concerned resident said: “Can we have some flotation devices at that pond? It’s a hazard.

“On Friday it was a living disgrace. If a kid had got in there, you’d have had a fatality on your hands.”

One man said: “There’s only four people in the room that’s created that mess. You’re not putting the bill on us parishioners for your incompetence.”

Cllr Mark Casson claimed that Kyle and Ian Thornley had been given permission by chairman Nick Troughton to create the pond.

But Cllr Troughton disputed this and said the parish council had agreed to let Cllrs Ian and Kyle Thornley continue with the works at a meeting held in May.

Cllr Mark Casson said: “The two Thornleys had permission off Nick to do that pond. Therefore, whatever happens with that pond is down to you, Nick.”

A member of the public then shouted at Mr Troughton and the clerk, Chris Shaw, “Why haven’t you two resigned?”

Another resident said: “In any other walk of life, you would be sacked for gross misconduct and incompetence. You are trying to put the costs of your mess on us and it’s not going to happen. There will be hell on.”

A member of the public asked if there was a timescale for getting the pond filled back in and said the situation had gone on 'long enough'.

Cllr Troughton replied: “We are trying to get it done as quickly as possible. We are being held up by the borough council.”

Concerned resident Brian Mossop said: “You two could be up on manslaughter charges if anything happens.”

Mr Shaw replied: “I find it a bit of an exaggeration, just as I find somebody suggesting that the pond is eight-foot deep.”

Cllr Casson said: “How can you sit there and think this is a joke? There are kids playing around that pond and none of you are bothered.”

Councillors then considered whether to proceed with one of the tenders sought by Mr Shaw to restore the land to its former state.

Mr Shaw said: “What I’m hoping is we get something that the planners will look at and we can make progress on it. We want to get on with it.

“You shout and bawl all the time but we are trying to make progress.”

Cllr Norma Boyes said: “We have got to get this hole filled in. If the parish council pay for it in getting it done, if we can get it done next week, I would be delighted.

“We can get legal advice about where we can go to try and retrieve the money. We are not getting anywhere arguing about who is going to pay for it.

”We take responsibility, we get it sorted, then we worry about how we’re going to get the money back afterwards.”

Cllr Mark Casson proposed to add an amendment to the motion to consider the tenders, which said: “The council seeks to protect public funds by recovering the costs of the work from the individuals responsible for creating the pond without council authority.”

Members voted in favour of the proposed amendment.

Cllr Troughton said: “Having said that, you appreciate that the council approved that the works should be done. The parish council in May told them to keep going.”

Five councillors (Cllrs Norma Boyes, Janice Ogilvie, Lesley Coward, Irene Parker and Nick Troughton) voted in favour of proceeding with the lowest tender. Cllrs Mark and Gill Casson abstained from voting.

READ MORE: Drainage pond created at Moresby Parks without planning permission to be filled back in