MUM Julie Peet called the council because her gate post needed fixing - only to be told that they could not afford to do it until the next financial year.

Julie, who lives on Barber Street, Hoyland, said she could not believe that the council’s budget would not extend to a small wooden post.

“They told me that due to budget constraints, I’m going to have to wait until the next financial year.

“To be told you haven’t got enough money is unbelievable - it doesn’t take £10 to put a piece of wood up, yet they spend thousands of pounds on things that people don’t really notice.”

Julie’s house is privately owned, but the path and gate, which are shared with the neighbouring property, belong to the council.

The post, which was rotten and crumbling, fell off after Julie’s seven-year-old son Sam brushed passed it. The heavy piece of wood narrowly missed him as it fell.

Julie said she would fix it herself, but the wooden post is embedded in concrete and tarmac, so she cannot dig it up.

She added: “I can’t even tie the gate up with string because there’s no post to tie it to.

“The traffic is horrendous out there now, and I don’t want Sam wandering out into the road.

“If you’ve got a gate there, you can shut it and tell them not to go past it and they won’t, but when there’s no gate anything could happen.”