Councillor hits out at flooding issue
Roads in Renfrewshire are being flooded because drains and gullies are being neglected – it has been claimed.
Paisley Southeast Councillor Eddie Devine hit out – just a week after SNPled Renfrewshire Council reported it had cleared 20,000 gullies in the last 18 months.
The leader of the Labour group has taken issue with overgrown vegetation at the side of Caplethill Road, which means water is gathering and causing mayhem for vehicles during bad weather.
He said: “There’s very few drains that don’t have weeds growing out of them and they’re quite tall.
“The point is that the council is saying they have cleared up over 20,000 of them but these are the worst of the worst.
“What has prompted me was I got another complaint about them.
“During the good weather they were really bad, with vegetation growing out of them.
“So this is not an overnight thing, this is months and months.
“That entire road has been resurfaced in the last year. “They have neglected the drains. “Therefore, it’s causing flooding which at times you can’t get through.”
Councillor Devine has accused the administration of not doing its job.
He added: “The convener is claiming that all these drains are done but they’re clearly not and it’s neglect.
“They’re saying all the rubbish is from our time in power but clearly that’s not the case.
“They came into power saying they would clean up the environment and that it would be far better, but 18 months later we are still getting blocked drains.
“They’re not doing their job properly.”
However, Councillor Cathy McEwan, convener of Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, praised the steps the council had taken to clear gullies.
She said: “The SNP are making huge progress with regard to our environmental efforts and Labour simply can’t stand it.
“The statistics don’t lie and with more than 30,000 gullies in total across Renfrewshire, the fact that 20,000 have been cleared under the SNP is great news.
“However, it is going to take longer than 18 months to clean up the
Never again – the refrain of returning World War I troops – was echoed around the walls of the Peace Garden in Barshaw Park on Armistice Day.
Representatives from a number of religions gathered at the Renfrewshire Interfaith Group’s peace event at the start of Interfaith Week.
Quaker Mary Alice Mansell recalled the key part women played in opposing the Great War, notably in the Women’s Peace Crusade founded in Glasgow in 1916.
The gathering, which was opened by a reading of Carol Ann Duffy’s new World War I poem, closed with all singing St Francis’s peace prayer. mess that was left by the previous Labour administration, who focused very little effort on our local environment.
“Many gullies require further work after years of neglect but residents can be sure that this continues to be a priority.
“I would encourage Councillor Devine to work with the council to ensure that the area he refers to can be improved.”
Renfrewshire Council says it does plan to tackle the drains at Caplethill Road.
A spokesman said: “We are inspecting, repairing and clearing Renfrewshire’s 31,000 roadside drains as part of the highly successful Team Up to Clean Up campaign, which is improving the cleanliness of our streets and inspiring public pride in the local environment.
“The programme of repairs is now well under way and we will ensure the drains at this location are addressed.
“Due to the dip on Caplethill Road, periods of heavy rainfall can impact upon the drainage.
“The drains are currently being serviced following the heavy rainfall over the weekend, further impacted upon by a blocked pipe at a nearby farm which has now been cleared.”