Council urged to clarify parking policy

ANGUS parking meters will stay bagged for the rest of summer as officers analyse the impact of suspending the controversial payment policy.

Council bosses are under pressure to clarify their position on the charges after Dundee City Council started phasing in payments and Fife and Perth and Kinross Council chiefs announced August start dates for charges.

It is understood Angus Council’s decision to suspend the charges will not be reviewed until after the summer recess.

The council is facing about £6 million in extra costs incurred through work to tackle the pandemic.

Independent Carnoustie councillor Brian Boyd accused the administration of “deliberately keeping people in the dark” on the future of the policy.

He said: “Every member of the administration voted against dropping the charges in February and could have backed the motion to scrap them.

“Carnoustie councillors who suggested this change have been marginalised over the last four months so we do not know what is going on.”

Before the pandemic, council leader David Fairweather had pledged the policy – accused of hastening the demise of high-street economies across the county – was “here to stay”.

Administration economic spokesman Braden Davy, the Conservative candidate for Angus North in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election, said Angus Council “shouldn’t be bounced into action” by decisions taken in other local authority areas.

“But financial assessments need to be made in light of record costs for the council, and consideration must be given to the huge impact to our local businesses of Covid-19.”

An Angus Council spokeswoman said: “Our policy is for payment only at designated off-street car parks.

“However, these payments remain suspended in emergency response to Covid. There are no proposals for the lifting of the suspension of the charges at this time.”

A BURST pipe led to the death of dozens of fish in water flowing through an Open Championship golf course, environmental experts have confirmed.

Shocked caddie John Gilbert was walking the Championship course at Carnoustie Golf Links yesterday morning when he made the grim discovery at Barry Burn.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) told the Tele the source of infection had been traced to a burst pipe on a local farm.

Barry Burn – which runs through all three Carnoustie golf courses – is normally home to a healthy population of native brown trout.

John, a caddie of 50 years standing, told the Tele he was dismayed to find half a dozen fish floating in a pool of water by the 10th hole.

He said: “I saw more at the 17th and contacted the club to inform them.

“I was told the greenkeepers had pulled at least 50 dead fish from the burn and the matter had been reported to Sepa.”

He added: “My understanding is the problem is not isolated to the stretch of burn through the links.