AN UNCOVERED hole next to a children's playground was an accident waiting to happen, a homeowner has said.
Paul Carress, 44, first complained to Hull City Council about the hole's missing cover three weeks ago next to the Duke of Wellington pub in Peel Street.
It was so close to a playground, Mr Carress feared someone could be seriously hurt.
However, nothing was done until the council installed a new cover yesterday within two hours of being contacted by the Mail.
Mr Carress said: "You can ignore it for so long and then you're just ignoring a hazard.
"I think it was an accident waiting to happen. All it would have taken was for a child to trap a leg in the hole and break an ankle.
"The council knew about it for weeks but they did nothing about it."
To Mr Carress, it suggests the area is not being properly patrolled by staff and he is worried problems are not being picked up on.
He said: "Probably, nobody's patrolling the area.
"It makes you think, 'what's in the play area?'.
"If you walk around the field, you find cans of lager. It needs to be sorted out."
Earlier this year Morgan Goodhand, 12, broke her leg on her birthday when she twisted her foot in a 3in-deep pothole crossing the road yards from her home off Holderness Road, east Hull.
Her mother, Michelle, criticised the number of potholes in the city and urged the council to act fast before someone is killed.
At the time, she said: "Morgan was in agony. She was lying on that road screaming – it was that painful.
"I am disgusted at the state of the roads in this city. Something needs to be done about it."
To report a missing manhole cover, call Hull City Council on 01482 300300.
• Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
