A VILLAGE’S fears over rocks falling from quarry wagons have deepened after one smashed a car windscreen last week.

Ellie Reid was parked near the Harwood Quarry to go to work at a nearby salon in Longsight last Thursday, but returned to her vehicle to find the front windscreen had been cracked by debris.

The 25-year-old, from Sharples, has echoed other residents’ fears that a passer-by could be killed or badly injured if action is not taken.

She said: “I saw the wagon go past and heard the bang, but I didn’t think anything of it — we hear the boulders falling all the time.

“When I saw the car I thought there was a spider on the windscreen, but it was this huge crack.

"It is an absolute mess and the whole windscreen needs replacing.

“If there had been a child walking past at that moment then it could have smashed their head open.

“The quarry has to take some responsibility, you can see what it happening on that road.

“I once saw a bigger boulder than the one that hit my car come off a truck and then bounce down the road.

“If a pedestrian gets hit then they could be killed. Does it really have to reach that stage before something is done to stop this?”

In August, residents around Bradshaw Road complained that they were regularly finding rocks and stones that had been shed from the wagons driving to and from the quarry.

Cllr Mudasir Dean says he has raised the issue with Booth Ventures, but they are not taking responsibility for the problem.

He said: “These incidents are becoming too common now. I have said in the past that somebody could as a result of this, in a worst case scenario.

“Something really does need to be done.

“I brought this up at the last Harwood Quarry meeting about a month ago and the owners said that the incident on Bradshaw Road in August was nothing to do with them and must have been trucks from somewhere else.

“I do not believe that. This is a built up area and it is next to a school.

"If there was a child or an elderly person walking past when this debris fell off then I would want to imagine the situation they could be put in.

“The quarry and the drivers have a moral obligation to ensure that nothing falls off their wagons.”

Booth Ventures has been contacted for a comment.

In August, managing director Matthew Booth said that 'vehicles using our site receive regular safety feedback from our management team'.