Lack of grit on some pavements 'an absolute nightmare'
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THE lack of grit on pavements on some Thurso streets this week created "an absolute nightmare" for schoolchildren and other members of the public, Thurso and Wick Trade Union Council has been told.
Keith Bramall, a school crossing patrol officer at Miller Academy in Thurso and a local representative of the Unison trade union, said the pavement from Castlegreen Road to the junction at Princes Street and the one at Ormlie Road had not been gritted on Tuesday despite the wintry weather.
He said the conditions caused problems for pupils and pedestrians. One man fell and got "a hell of a thump" on his way to a medical appointment.
The amount of people slipping and nearly falling was horrendous.
Mr Bramall said there was a lot of concern locally. One family told him it took them 25 minutes to go from John Kennedy Drive to the Castlegreen Road junction.
"The amount of people slipping and nearly falling was horrendous," he said. "I don't know why there was no gritting done in that area of the town.
"The road was not too bad – it was more the pavements. Both sides of Castlegreen Road and one side of Ormlie Road were affected.
"A lot of people were coming down Ormlie Road and said it was dangerous. It was the worst I have seen in my three years in the job."
Mr Bramall said a gritter came down Castlegreen Road in the afternoon but "did not put any grit out and there was nothing on the pavement".
When he finished his shift he went to Highland Council's service point in Thurso and asked for a grit bin to be put in the area so pavements could be treated.
"It was known a cold spell was coming but there was no grit put down. It was an absolute nightmare and is something that needs to be highlighted," Mr Bramall said.
He raised the matter at Wednesday's meeting of the trade union council and has brought the problem to the attention of the four Thurso and Northwest Caithness councillors.
A Highland Council spokeswoman said: "Met Office forecasts on Monday, December 16 were for snow and ice across northern parts of Scotland and was valid until 9am on Tuesday. This weather information was shared widely on council social media to warn and inform the public.
"Our winter roads conditions for Caithness on Tuesday morning were white frost with patches of ice on all routes being treated according to policy and priority. All routes were clear and there were no known issues on the council’s gritting routes.
"Winter maintenance resources are applied in Caithness according to the council’s winter maintenance policy and the local area gritting route priorities which were approved at the Caithness Committee on November 19, 2019."
Gritting in Caithness could start an hour earlier
