A 16-year-old who suffered severe facial injures after part of a concrete block wall fell on her remained in stable condition at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital yesterday.

Part of the wall, located on private property, fell on the cycle rider as she was riding her bike along North Shore Road yesterday by the Dub City variety store.

A Bob Cat located in the yard of a private house above the wall where construction is going on, is thought to have loosened the structure.

The last time a wall caused a public accident was in the tragic death of teacher Andrea Bicarie who was killed after a retaining wall at the Bermuda College fell on the car she was sitting in.

Yesterday, made enquiries regarding the safety of walls on the Island and was told by the Department of Planning that safety issues are dealt with by structural engineers at the Ministry of Works and Engineering.

Rudolph Hollis, Director of the Planning Department, said the department is aware that there are walls built on the Island without Planning permission. Other walls are constructed using cost-cutting measures, such as leaving out all of the necessary enforcement rods. Mr. Hollis said the department had not received any calls yesterday from concerned members of the public.

?If in doubt, contact the Planning Department to get advice,? said Mr. Hollis. ?Putting up walls without the benefit of Planning permission puts the property owners and the public at risk.?

There are several spots around the Island where people are concerned about the safety of retaining walls. Party Plus owner Mary Fox, whose shop is located below Devon Springs Road, said she is concerned for her safety and that of passersby as portions of a retaining wall above the shop have fallen down and may be loosened from the recent spell of heavy rain.

She said Government is trying to determine if the wall is located on private or public land.

Mr. Hollis said an inspector from the department had been sent to assess the site. An engineer was sent from the Ministry of Works and Engineering is also making an inspection.

Mr. Hollis said there was construction going on at the home where the Bob Cat was located, behind the house.