Flooded roads branded ‘an accident in waiting’
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HIGHLAND Council and TranServ Scotland are being urged to make a greater effort to clear Caithness roads of water to prevent serious accidents from occurring.
Landward Caithness councillor Willie Mackay said that across the county, drains have been unable to cope with the amount of surface water caused by a significant amount of heavy rain that has fallen during the last week.
He said that roads based in the rural areas of Caithness have been the worst affected, forcing motorists to drive through several inches of water or pull around the side of the puddles at dangerous corners.
Mr Mackay believes there is a problem with the drains on these roads, saying that they should have been able to cope with the deluge of water.
He said that the council’s TEC services department and TranServ now need to take urgent action before the amount of surface water causes a serious accident.
"Gone is the day when the council worker did a mile stretch on the road every day – with the mechanical means they have at their disposal, it
shouldn’t take long to clear the gullies," he said.
"With the heavy deluge of water seen in recent weeks, there are far too many ditches that seem to be clogged up.
"There does not seem to be much action in recent weeks as with the onset of the winter it is bringing a set of greater problems.
"I’ve had a number of complaints from motorists telling me how these puddles are a hazard to drivers when it hits the windscreen and obstructs their view.
"It also causes damage underneath cars but people swerving out to avoid them and going around corners could be a danger to oncoming traffic.
"I am calling on TEC services and TranServ Scotland to look at this issue before it becomes a hazard throughout the county."
Mr Mackay said he became aware the issue was a huge concern when he spoke to various people at Remembrance Day services on Sunday.
Halkirk has been identified as one of
the worst affected places but particularly troublesome areas have also been highlighted at roads in Thurso and Watten.
Highland Council community works manager Stuart Bell said that he has been in touch with Mr Mackay regarding the issue.
He said the authority are aware of the problem and said it is a priority to make sure council-controlled roads are safe to drive on.
"It is an ongoing and widespread issue that we have to deal with – most drains are located on the side of the road where grass and weeds grow over quite quickly," he said.
"There has been heavy rain over the last few weeks which means water is lying in places where it usually wouldn’t.
"The main issue lies with the volume of water rather than the lack of maintenance but clearing the roads of water ponding is something that we never stop doing."
