Residents of a Kitchener apartment complex are upset about a sewer grate just outside their building. They say it’s a safety hazard.

“They need to do something with it. They need to cover it before another child gets injured,” said Joan White, who has lived in the building for three years.

The sunken sewer grate is encased in concrete beside the Heritage Road building. It is about 18 inches deep. Residents say children have tripped on the grate and hurt themselves.

“Me and my friends were playing tag and we came around the building and I seen the little one, he was screaming and he was face first into the hole so I helped him out, and his face was all bloody,”said George Breau, a kid who lives in the building. Breau says it’s not an isolated incident. 

“One of my friends has fallen in, he had to get two stitches. My brother’s fallen in, got a big goose egg on his head, I’ve fallen in, busted up my shin,” Breau continued.

“A child could fall in there, break his neck or her neck and could end up dying. That is something that we don't want to see,” White said.

Residents say they have complained a number of times about the sewer grate to the superintendents. They say each time the supers say they will look into it, but it has been a month since the last child was hurt and nothing has happened.

“Since the last incident a property manager came over and took a picture and we haven't heard nothing more about it,” White said.

Neighbours have been dragging a large recycling bin into the grate to alert children of the hole.

“We trying to send a message to management that this is wrong, kids are getting hurt and we are also trying to send a message to the kids don't ride over there, don’t play over there,” said Sandra Henein.

Starlight Investments own the property, which is managed by Greenwin. CTV News contacted one of the superintendents who told us she hadn’t heard about any complaints, and said we should call the head office. CTV News emailed and called the property owners and property managers, but no one had responded by the time of publication.

CTV News contacted the City of Kitchener. Officials there say they are looking into it.