Ormlie fence fixed by Highland Council after ‘serious safety hazard’ concerns
Highland Council has fixed a damaged fence at a football pitch in Thurso after fears that it posed a “serious safety hazard”.
And the local authority promised that it would continue to monitor the situation at Ormlie Park “for any signs of deterioration”.
However, the manager of one of the two amateur clubs that use the park for home games said he was disappointed with the extent of the repair work, calling it “a start but no more than that”.
There had been long-standing concerns over part of the high fence behind one of the goalmouths, at the Henderson Street end of the ground, with a large gap in one section which had dangerously sharp ends sticking out.
Ormlie Park is home to High Ormlie Hotspur and Top Joe’s, who play in the Caithness Amateur Football Association summer league. The park is council-owned and is managed by High Life Highland.
Matters came to a head last Tuesday night when Keiss goalkeeper Ben Sutherland caught his neck on the broken fence while going to retrieve a ball during the warm-up ahead of a first division match against High Ormlie Hotspur.
Photos taken at the time showed a nasty area of grazing, and Sutherland was not the first footballer to have been hurt.
Bradley Thomson, the Keiss manager, described the fence as “a serious safety hazard”.
Liam Sutherland, who is part of the High Ormlie Hotspur management team, said last week the issue was first reported to the council over a year ago and the fence had continued to deteriorate.
On Wednesday morning, Highland News & Media contacted the council’s corporate communications team with a summary of clubs’ concerns and asked whether there were any plans to repair or replace the fencing around the pitch.
The local authority replied the following day. It explained that “a work ticket was raised within the property asset management system to formally record the extent of the damage to fencing at Ormlie Park” and that “a property officer will attend the site in due course to make an in-person assessment of the damage and potential options for repair, along with the associated costing”.
Repair work was carried out that same day (Thursday).
A further statement was issued on Friday, saying: “Highland Council can confirm that repair work to a section of damaged fencing at Ormlie Park was successfully completed on July 3. Officers, as part of their amenity duties and routine management of the site, will continue to monitor the fencing on site for any signs of deterioration.
“Members of the public are also encouraged to report any damage or maintenance issues they become aware of to the council online at www.highland.gov.uk/report.”
Councillor Karl Rosie, who represents Thurso and Northwest Caithness on Highland Council, said: “I’m glad the matter has been resolved and sincere thanks to the Highland Council estates team for the swift response.”
Bruce Cormack, manager and committee member of second division club Top Joe’s, said the work was welcome – although only up to a point.
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“The repairs to the fence at the road end don’t reach the full height,” he noted.
“It’s an improvement on what was there before and may lessen some injuries. However, it won’t stop footballs going into gardens over the road, potentially causing traffic accidents or damage to passing vehicles and cars parked up to watch the games.
“There have been no repairs undertaken to the Ormlie Community Centre end of the pitch. They have put two temporary [Heras] fence gates over broken areas of fence but have not undertaken any repairs to the jagged/broken wires.
“It’s a start but no more than that, I’m really disappointed to say.”