West End is too leafy

Residents claim an accident could be just a matter of time

A NG RY r e s ide nt s a r e demanding the council urgently clears leaves from the streets before someone falls and gets injured.

Wet autumn leaves are piling up on pavements i n the West End prompting concerns that vulnerable people could slip.

Resident Phil Welsh said: “If the council cleared the leaves as they were falling we wouldn’t end up with slippy pavements risking the safety of anyone, particularly the elderly, who need to walk on the pavements.”

West End councillor Fraser Macpherson said: “Unfortunately since 2015 we have 40 fewer street sweepers working in Dundee as a result of budget cuts.

“I have raised the matter with the council’s environment department.”

A city council spokesman said: “The operation to remove leaf litter from Dundee’s streets and pavements is ongoing.

“We shall continue this work over the coming weeks as leaves continue to fall.”

Meantime, Dundee residents have been left outraged by the council’s planned collection fees.

Households across the city received a letter this weekend which laid out the council’s new plans for garden waste collection.

The scheme, which will be put in place in March 2020, requires households to purchase a £35 permit to have their garden waste collected.

One unhappy citizen told the Tele: “Folks just aren’t going to recycle now. I know I won’t, it’s all just going in the black bin.”

Neighbourhood resources convener Anne Rendall said: “The charges will entitle residents to about 20 fortnightly uplifts from March to November which works out at £1.75 per collection.”

Residents can still dispose of garden waste free of charge at recycling centres at Riverside and Baldovie.

Fallen leaves are making walking the streets treacherous.