A major accident may have been avoided after a quick thinking Devonshire resident took the initiative to have a wall in her neighbourhood repaired.

Angela Cox, who regularly exercises in the Elliott School area, said she noticed the wall was starting to crumble in March when heavy rain had started to shake its foundations.

The wall runs along Hermitage Road, adjacent to the school field and could have come falling down on students playing below.

?I was concerned, children are playing on the field and I didn?t want to get the call that someone was hurt,? said Mrs. Cox whose six-year-old child is a pupil at the school.

She called school Principal Cathy Bassett who immediately telephoned Works and Engineering to alert them to the potentially dangerous wall. Twenty-four hours later, the patch of wall was roped off and was given immediate attention by Works and Engineering staff.

Parents and school staff can now take comfort that school children are playing safely below. Walkers also have an easier time getting along the sidewalk.

?It?s much better, the sidewalk is higher and smoother, there was large pot holes adjacent to the wall? said Mrs. Cox.

Last summer a 16-year-old bike rider was injured on North Shore after an unstable wall fell and pinned down her vehicle as she was driving. The teen survived the accident but she suffered from serious injuries.

Residents were asked after the incident to check their walls for safety, and to alert Government if they need immediate attention.