Community representatives in Wick have requested details from Highland Council of its schedule for clearing snow and ice from pavements.
The issue was raised during the January meeting of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council, held last week during a spell of sub-zero temperatures when some footways around the town were treacherous at times.
It was pointed out during the meeting that grit bins can be placed on pavements for residents to use as part of a voluntary scheme involving community councils.
Members agreed to ask the local authority for information about its pavement-gritting rota.
Highland Council’s winter maintenance policy has been in place since 2018. Its top priorities for footways are main urban shopping centres and primary cycleways.
Secondary priorities are footways serving main urban areas, schools, hospitals and minor shopping areas, as well as sheltered housing and “locations of special need with known identified hazards”.
Other footways are dealt with “as resources allow”.
Footways are treated on weekdays between 6am and 6pm on a priority basis as resources allow. On weekends and public holidays the service is provided between 6am and noon, with no service for footways on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.
Pavement-clearing in Union Street, Wick, in January last year. Picture: Alan Hendry
Highland Council offers assistance to communities that wish to take action in their own area to help clear snow and ice from footpaths.
This can be done by providing salt, either in grit bins or heaps, shovels and snow-pushers, gloves and hi-vis vests, together with health and safety advice to volunteers who have pre-registered through their community council,
Provision of equipment and training is coordinated by the local area roads offices. The email address for Caithness is Roads.Caithness@highland.gov.uk
Alternatively, an application form and guidance notes can be downloaded from the Highland Council website.
Highland Council’s winter service starts on October 14 and continues until April 14.
The local authority maintains a fleet of 105 gritters and 42 pavement gritters as well as one snowblower. Across the region there are more than 1750 grit bins.
Over a typical winter around 50,000 tonnes of salt will be spread on the roads.
“The cost of providing this service reflects the fact that we have to treat the longest local road network of any council in Scotland,” the council points out.
Spending will vary depending on how severe the weather is but Highland Council would normally expect winter road maintenance to cost around £5 million annually.