With no signs of the wintry conditions letting up, it emerged that Fife Council were running 'critically low' in supplies of grit and were expected to run out today (Monoday 4th January.
The council is blaming the severe and prolonged adverse weat
her for an increased demand on salt suppliers, leading to deliveries of much less salt than expected.
Dr Bob McLellan, head of the local authority's transportation department, explained: "This is a situation that we and other councils never expected to find ourselves in as we had no reason to believe that our salt suppliers did not have enough reserves of salt to fulfill their contractual obligations to the council.
Calls have now been made for a public inquiry into the authority's dealing with the winter weather.
After learning of a 12 per cent increase in people attending accident and minor injury units in Fife's hospitals between December 23 and 29, council Labour leader, Alex Rowley is one man calling for an inquiry.
He told the Gazette: "It has been confirmed to me that there has been a massive increase in people seeking treatment for falls resulting in fractures, breaks and soft tissue injuries. Whilst I would not expect Fife Council to be in a position to have stopped all these falls, the fact that they have not been able to put any salt down in our main shopping areas and other areas where large groups of people congregate will not have helped.
"They have failed to keep the grit bins refilled and have failed those people who want to help themselves and the wider community by putting grit down to make our streets safer.
"Fife Council has failed spectacularly and needs to be held to account for that failure.
And Glenrothes MSP, Tricia Marwick is also demanding an inquiry into the situation: "I have not known conditions like this for 20 years and the council are right to prioritise the main roads. Having said that the lack of gritting and salt in some of the streets are causing major problems. It's important that after this critical period is over a full investigation needs to take place within Fife Council."
