Anger after grit bin removed and not replaced near icy Kirkcaldy road

The woman, who doesn’t want to be named, said her elderly mother lives in Woodlands Road and has been unable to get out the house to walk in her street because it has been so badly covered by thick snow and ice.

She said there used to be a grit bin nearest her mum’s house, at the entrance to Longbraes Gardens, which locals used to grit the pavements and road, but it was removed two years ago, having been there previously for 45 years.

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She said no council gritters go near Woodlands Road and as a result, delivery drivers can’t get access to houses - with one taxi driver claiming it is the worst street in Kirkcaldy when it gets hit by snow and ice.

She said: “The council never gave a reason why it removed the grit bin. My mum could not walk her dog for days recently because the pavements and road were too icy. Her dog falls and my mum has fallen too in the past. She can be stuck in the house for days at a time.

"There are other grit bins – one at the bottom of Woodlands Road, which always needs filled and another which has had water in it for years so if it gets filled up, it goes to mush, which is useless.

"Woodlands Road has always been a big problem but the gritters just drive passed it. Taxi drivers complain – one actually said it was the worst street in Kirkcaldy for ice and snow - and supermarket deliveries have real trouble. Cars going up towards Woodlands Road have difficulty.”

She added: “I want to see that grit bin replaced and I want Fife Council to grit the road and the pavements as much as it possibly can.”

Derek Crowe, senior manager roads and transportation services, said: “As part of a service review, we carried out a public consultation two years ago, which included elected members, about the number of grits bin in Fife along with their locations and how often they were used.

"Following the feedback, and in line with our statutory responsibilities, the grit bin inventory was re-shaped to meet the locations with greatest need and at a sustainable level that we can afford and logistically arrange re-filling within a reasonable time.

"We have an extensive road gritting network that covers around 59 per cent of Fife’s roads. Grit bins are located in areas that are not on the priority gritting routes and like all such things there is a limited resource, and we continue to review the inventory and any new requests.

“We’re keen to encourage people, if they’re looking to treat their public paths and roads, to make better use of the grit bins already out there rather introducing new ones. We’re also happy to move grit bins around if this helps.”

He added that anyone wanting a grit bin moved should fill in a form at: Fife Council road maintenance select the ‘road maintenance & reporting’ option and once in the form, select ‘grit bins’.

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