Villagers hit another roadblock in Sai Kung village

Residents of a Sai Kung village are making a desperate call for help to remove a pile of concrete that is blocking the only road in, and cutting off their homes from life-saving emergency access.

Since Monday night, concrete blocks covered with cement and a piece of canvas have been lying across a section of the threemetre-wide road - which sits on private land - in what appears to be a land dispute at Ho Chung New Village.

Residents want the Fire Services Department to reconsider taking up its responsibility of enforcing safety rules by removing the debris. They claim the department has said it is not taking action as the road is not designated for emergency access.

Apart from potential rescue delays, the villagers also cite the problem of overflowing septic tanks if waste removal trucks cannot reach their homes.

The latest obstruction is at least the third such incident at the village since 2009, and comes as the Ombudsman is investigating emergency access in rural areas.

"The best thing to do now is for firefighters to come and demolish the barriers, reopen round-the-clock access and then bill the landlord," Wenlise Kwok Pik-yuk, who has been organising residents' opposition to the blockage, said yesterday.