A lot used for dumping construction material and debris is putting children in a St. David's neighbourhood at risk of serious injury, area residents say.

The lot, which has been earmarked as a youth centre, was allowed to be used by as a temporary holding area for materials from the construction of low cost housing units being carried out by PLP MP Arthur Pitcher.

Mr. Pitcher could not be reached for comment yesterday, but fellow contractor Zane DeSilva told The Royal Gazette that he had been contacted by the MP and would be helping to remove the materials probably as early as today.

"It's been there ever since he started building," said Carla Jenkins who runs a nursery in the area. "Our concern is we have kids and other kids (from outside the neighbourhood) play over there... We warn them not to go down there but kids don't always listen. It's dangerous - you have nails and wires..."

Her seven year old granddaughter once narrowly avoided serious injury when some of the debris fell on top of her earlier this year.

"I'm constantly chasing children away because they are constantly climbing on top of equipment and jumping off it. They have moved some stuff away (three containers) but in the last couple of weeks they put a toilet bowl, wood and other junk there."

Mrs. Jenkins added that a recent storm sent debris flying onto the side of her house and blew debris onto the bedroom window of her two year old granddaughter.

Complaints to Mr. Pitcher's construction company have been to no avail, she added.

"You can call until you are blue in the face but it's a losing battle. They never return any calls. Common sense should tell you when you finish your job, you have to move your stuff."

"When storms blow it we have to take it out of our yard and carry it back to the site. I don't want to come out and see a toilet bowl, there's one in my house."

Yesterday Suzann Holshouser, a United Bermuda Party approved candidate for the area, said the matter had been brought to her attention during recent canvassing and she raised it with the Bermuda Land Development Company (BLDC) which has responsibility for the site and had given the contractors permission to use the area to dump their materials.

According to Mrs. Holshouser, BLDC CEO George Smith agreed the dump needed to be cleaned up but had had difficulty getting anyone to accept responsibility.

Mr. Smith could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Mrs. Holshouser stressed that she did not intend to get into a personal attack against Mr. Pitcher but that she, like the residents in the area, merely wanted the site to be cleaned up to make the area safe.

"Everyday after school, there are children playing on it. This is not an environment which is acceptable to the community and I want something done about it."

In letters written to the BLDC in July and August, Mrs. Holshouser stressed that no safety barriers had been erected around the hazardous, and unsightly, lot.

Mr. de Silva, who runs Island Construction and has worked with Mr. Pitcher on the contract, said responsibility for cleaning up the mess lies with the MP.

"But he's asked me to help move it so we should start moving it tomorrow," he said.