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Walk of Stars is fenced off

Oct 26 2007

By Neil Elkes, Birmingham Mail

 

The Walk of Stars is fenced off.

A HOLLYWOOD-style Walk of Stars in Birmingham has been fenced off - because people have been slipping over on the highly polished stones.

The tributes to rocker Ozzy Osbourne and comedian Jasper Carrott were unveiled in glittering ceremonies attended by the entertainers and hundreds of their fans.

They were intended to put Birmingham on the celebrity map.

But just a month after the last star was embedded in the pavement in Broad Street, it and the one laid earlier in July have been surrounded by railings to prevent pedestrians injuring themselves.

Broad Street manager Mike Olley admitted: "We have fenced them off as a precaution. "There are a lot of people walking up and down every day and we don't want any unnecessary accidents.

"There is a concern they may be over-polished, so we are getting them re-evaluated by the manufacturer.

"There may not even be a problem but we need to double check."

A security guard stands over Ozzy Osbourne's star on Broad Street.

The Mail understands that it was a complaint of a serious slip which led bosses from the Broad Street Business Improvement District, which is responsible for the stars, to investigate the slabs.

With thousands of revellers marching up and down Birmingham's "Golden Mile" every day and night, officials feared it was only a matter of time before someone took a serious tumble - with the BID open to a negligence claim.

It is unclear yet whether the stone stars will have to be dug up or whether they can be fixed in situ.

Mr Olley said manufacturer Charcon Concrete, a company based in Leicestershire, had been called out to assess the situation.

"They can pour an acid treatment over them to make them less slippery and it is done," he said.

Until then, the stars will remain cordoned off.

The Walk of Stars was trumpeted as a Hollywood-style tribute to the West Midlands' finest celebrities from the world of entertainment - with the first two dedicated to Ozzy and Jasper.

Contenders for future stars include reggae band UB40, new romantics Duran Duran and Dudley comic Lenny Henry.

A Birmingham City Council transport spokeswoman said: "Broad Street BID was granted a licence under the New Roads and Street Works Act which transfers the responsibility for the maintenance and liability from the city council to the BID.

"The city council has not raised any concerns regarding the stars, but would be happy to give any advice."

 

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