EDITOR – This recent spell of snow and ice has shown that our local councils do not, between them, have a cohesive strategy for ensuring the safety of the town centre streets.
I became a casualty of this when I slipped on an icy, ungritted pavement by Louth Town Hall on Saturday, December 19, and broke my arm.
I recall that snow had been falling since the morning of December 18.
After a speaking to all three councils,
I established that the responsibility for gritting Louth pavements lay with Lincolnshire County Council
As I was also told that ELDC grits around libraries and swimming pools, I wonder about the wisdom of separating this responsibility, especially as LCC had not been able to fulfil their part.
It also seems that, increasingly, there is no commitment to gritting pavements, so little wonder that we see news items where local orthopaedic surgeons comment on the unprecedented rise in fracture cases over the last two weeks.
It's not rocket science to imagine the relationship between the lack of gritting of town centre pavements and this rise.
Presumably it could snow heavily again in future winters.
Instead of cancelling markets because of fears over pavement safety, should not the councils be re-thinking their strategies and coming up with a joined-up plan to assist in keeping town centres safe and, therefore, open in winter weather?
Linda Sproston
Louth
