Question mark over the future of Marine Lake repair in West Kirby

Apr 29 2009 by Kevin Core, Liverpool Daily Post

THE firm being used to carry out the £750,000 refurbishment of the outer wall of West Kirby’s Marine Lake has been wound up by its parent company.

Irish Construction giant Pierse Group has pulled the plug on Northwich UK, which has just handed the lake back to West Kirby Sailing Club for the period of the Wilson Trophy, set to start on Friday, May 1.

While the deadline for the prestigious sailing event has been met, the council says it is waiting for clarification on the continuation of work in two weeks’ time, but expects the contract to be honoured.

Council officers had written a two-week window into the refurbishment contract to ensure that the trophy went ahead without a hitch.

The announcement of Northwich UK being wound up came four hours before the successful handover to West Kirby Sailing Club.

It is not yet known whether cash was given to the firm up front.

Club spokesman Ray Griffin said: “We first heard that something was wrong with the contractor on the Thursday morning, and that sub-contractors and plant hire people were busy repossessing their kit.

“The sluice gates had been closed and we already knew it was going to be handed over to us and it was.”

A report to Wirral Council a year ago warned that the popular seaside location was in danger of being washed away, and that, without intervention, it was a matter of time before it became too dangerous to walk along.