Ambulance called to help woman after fall blocked by Kirkcaldy High Street's automatic bollard

The incident happened at the weekend, and people who rushed to the aid of the woman were told the crew didn’t have a code to activate the barrier.

Fife Council has said codes and guidance were given to all emergency services before the bollard became operational in December. It said it would follow up to ensure there were no further issues.

The woman, in her 70s, took a tumble because of a missing Scottish Water drain cover which had been reported for over a year. Her walking stick went into the hole, and she fell over, injuring her knee and shoulder. The hazard has now been covered up.

The matter was first highlighted on the Love Kirkcaldy Facebook page, which was set up to champion and promote the town.

Colin Salmond-Wallace, who runs it, wrote: “The ambulance duly arrived 40 minutes after the first phone call only to be turned away at the automatic bollard on the High Street because it was after 11am by this point. They had to reverse out and come round via Tolbooth Street to get to us because they didn’t have a code for the bollard.

“If we had been dealing with a cardiac incident or a stroke that further delay could quite easily have been catastrophic. The state of the High Street is becoming increasingly hard to defend; it is scruffy and unkempt and it’s really starting to feel like no one care.”

The woman was taken to Victoria Hospital for treatment, and it was confirmed on Monday that the drain had been covered up.

Sara Wilson, service manager for Fife Council’s roads network management confirmed that all emergency services were provided with the code with clear guidance before the bollard became operational.

She added: “We will check in with the ambulance service to find out what happened in this instance and help make sure there are no continuing issues. In an emergency the code is also available through our Contact Centre and other emergency contacts."

A Scottish Water spokesperson said: "We are sorry to hear that a person fell in Kirkcaldy High Street. One of our local team members replaced the cover after seeing reports on a local social media group. When he arrived on site he witnessed the incident and provided assistance to the person.

“If customers see any issues with Scottish Water infrastructure they are urged to report it directly to us as soon as possible so we can investigate.”