Lanarkshire roads remain untreated as wintry weather continues

Dec 31 2009 by Alastair McNeill, Hamilton Advertiser

AS temperatures plummeted to minus nine in Hamilton the row over the treacherous condition of the roads hotted up.

Minor roads in many parts of the town and in surrounding villages remained untreated as the ‘big freeze’ continued.

And while the council’s grit supplies dwindled as they battled to keep main roads in a safe condition, the authority blamed their supplier Salt Union Ltd for “failing to meet contractual obligations”.

The Advertiser contacted Salt Union for comment. However, they did not respond before our deadline.

The council are currently using 1000 tonnes of salt per day, and by Tuesday their reserves stood at 2660 tonnes.

Many residents called or wrote to the Advertiser to express their anger and frustration at the condition of roads in their area.

Fairhill resident Thomas Caullay (65) of East Wellbrae Crescent said: “My wife couldn’t get the car moving last week, we had to use bits of old carpet to get it moving.

“When we went out on Christmas Eve, the car got stuck again and we left it further down the street.

“I used to be a taxi driver and the condition of my street is as bad as any road I have seen.

“They talk about cutbacks, but you can’t cut back on safety”.

A Fairhill pensioner told the Advertiser she had been housebound since before Christmas and described the situation there, particularly around the civic centre, as “chaos”.

“I’m nearly 70 and I haven’t been able to get to the post office for days.

“You just cannot walk on the pavements at all,” she said.

A resident in Montrose Crescent off Almada Street also expressed anger at the condition of roads nearer the town centre.

George Robertson (61) said: “One of the biggest problems here was black ice at the junction of Montrose Crescent with Muir Street.

“A number of drivers failed to stop at that junction because of black ice. It’s just fortunate that no cars were on Muir Street at the time”.

Bothwell resident Jim Crawford of Blairston Avenue described conditions there as “pretty disgraceful”.

He said: “There’s a steep hill here and it’s like a skating rink.

“The pavement and road are really treacherous. We haven’t seen a gritter all this time.

“Last night a woman with a baby couldn’t get her car moving. She was understandably agitated and the wee one was upset. It took me and neighbours 45 minutes to get her moving.

“It’s not right that roads and pavements are left in that condition”.

And a resident in Eddlewood’s Nethan Place described the situation as “shocking”.

He added: “There’s been no gritting here at all, and there’s no grit in the bins.

“Grit hasn’t been put down on the busier roads around here either. They’re clear due to buses passing through rather than any grit being put down.”

A South Lanarkshire Council spokesman said this week that main roads covered 60% of its network, and they continue to be the priority.

An expected salt delivery of 270 tonnes arrived on Tuesday morning, but a spokesman added: “Due to the continuing extreme weather nationally of freezing temperatures and repeated snowfalls for a sustained period, our salt supplier has been unable to meet their contractual obligations.

“However, the Roads Service is sourcing alternative supplies from other salt providers and will continue our round-the-clock operation.

“On Sunday, the roads department arranged for a haulier to travel to Cheshire to collect 500 tonnes of salt. Today (December 29) we have 2660 tonnes of salt in our reserves.

“Given the anticipated long-range forecast the council will continue to prioritise its efforts on main routes.”

Residents with weather concerns can contact the council’s 24-hour emergency number 0800 24 20 24.