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A traumatised holidaymaker to Walsall has vowed never to return after falling into the town centre canal basin.
Alexia Niang thought she was drowning as she bravely tried to prevent her friend falling in as well.
Following her ordeal, Alexia was then had to endure an 11-hour wait at Walsall’s Manor Hospital for treatment.
The 24-year-old Londoner is demanding answers why there were no warning signs after finding out people had been falling in the basin for decades.
She told the Express & Star: “I am so traumatised, I will never visit Walsall again.
“I do not have the best eyesight and thought the canal was grass, maybe because of green algae, and fell in the canal.
“I thought I was going to drown but my friend was behind me and was worried she would drown too.”
She added: “I’ve lost everything in that canal, my passport, two Iphones, all my clothes got wrecked, I do not want them back because I was told people wee in the canal.
“Why are there no warning signs? I was so angry when I was told other people have fallen in the canal, I want to raise awareness about how dangerous Walsall is.”
Last October, six people fell in the basin in one afternoon, resulting in four children being taken to hospital and according to local bar workers 12 people had fallen in the previous week after mistaking green algae for grass.
In 1999, a pensioner drove into the canal after mistaking it for a flooded car park and had to climb out of his sunroof and in 2007, a businessman drove his BMW into the canal, escaping before it sank to the bottom.
Alexia, who works in finance in London, added: “I suffer from anxiety already and this has made everything ten times worse, I did not leave my bed for days since getting home from Walsall.
“I fell in the canal last Saturday night around 9pm, and there were people around and no-one came and helped me.”
She added: “I stayed in the Premier Inn in Walsall and cannot believe they did not warn me about the canal, especially when I showed them stories about how many other people had fallen in.
“I went to the nearest hospital and was told I would have to wait 11 hours to be seen. It was a nightmare from start to finish.”
Alexia had been visiting the Black Country to see an old friend she had not been able to see for two years because of Covid-19.
“I just am glad I am back in London, I am never ever going to step foot in Walsall again.”
Alexia has complained to the Rivers and Canals Trust, Walsall Council and Premier Inn. She wants more signs put up and a fence around the water so other people do not befall her fate in the future.
The Rivers and Canals Trust told Alexia they are only responsible for the basin up to the water’s edge and placed a large blue buoy on top of the water to warn pedestrians in 2020. The Trust also put yellow and black stencilling around the water’s edge but any warning signs would need to be installed by Walsall Council.
A spokesman for Walsall Council said: “We have carefully considered the need for additional signage and barriers in partnership with Canals and River Trust in the past.
“From a highways perspective, the path at the town end of the canal is three metres wide which is much wider than a standard tow path, providing pedestrians and users of mobility scooters space to pass the canal edge safely. The Canals and River Trust maintain a visible buoy in the canal warning of the deep water as an alert to the public.”
Alexia, who has had to visit the hospital this week due to the water she swallowed in the canal, was furious with both organisations’ responses.
She said: “This is highly upsetting, Walsall Council is completely disregarding the fact that I could of lost my life. And the Rivers and Canal Trust also claim they have done nothing wrong, don’t they care about the people of Walsall, this would never happen in London, or anywhere else I’ve ever been. I want people to know about this shocking lack of care.”
Alexia does not want her picture to accompany this article due to her anxiety, however, she has asked for the footage caught on CCTV cameras which she will release to warn others how easy it is to fall in the basin.
By Adam Smith
Senior Reporter for the Express & Star.