Mum voices ‘shock’ over icy play facilities
A concerned Auchterarder parent has called on council officials to move children’s play facilities up the priority list when it comes to gritting treacherous surfaces during periods of bad weather.
Emma Bramhall lives in the Townhead area of the Lang Toon.
The young mum contacted the Herald recently to say she had been left “shocked” at how icy the surfaces in the nearby play park were following the recent cold snap.
And she said she felt the Primrose Park facilities could become potentially dangerous in the future should sub-zero temperatures, combined with snow and ice, grip the region again in the coming weeks.
She said: “I’d never actually been to the park before but I took my daughter along to play on the swings.
“I was absolutely shocked at how icy the play park was and the condition it had been left in.
“I was conscious about staying local to stick to the government Covid guidelines and wanted to take my daughter to play on the swings. She’s only 10 months and
we didn’t stay long.
“It was really dangerous and should have been cleared and salted. I know the roads take priority but you would think that a child’s play area would be gritted – especially when we’re being encouraged to get outside for daily exercise. What about elderly or disabled people?
“The nearby pavements were just as bad. My next door neighbour actually fell and broke her arm after slipping on the ice recently.
“If it’s not a priority maybe a grit bin could be placed nearer the park so people could salt the play area themselves?”
In a statement, a Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, we are unable carry out gritting treatments around play parks. The limited resources available are concentrated on the public road network, which takes priority.”
In relation to gritting the region’s roads and pavements generally during the recent spell of cold weather, the local authority representative continued: “We have managed to get to more lower category carriageway and footway routes as we have returned to a normal workforce level following the public holiday.
“Additionally, we are starting to refill grit bins that have been emptied over the festive period but, within excess of 1300 grit bins, this will take some days – despite utilising available private contractors.
“The routes require repeated treatments and our ‘A-class’ network and bus routes will be treated this afternoon, overnight and tomorrow morning as required.
“With freezing temperatures forecast, conditions will remain difficult on many carriageway and footway routes and we would ask residents to ensure that extra time is allowed for any essential journeys being undertaken.”
Between December 28 and January 6, NHS Tayside treated 66 patients at Perth Royal Infirmary’s accident and emergency department who attended following a fall.
Dr Julie Ronald said NHS Tayside had seen a recent “marked increase” in the number of patients attending with broken bones as a result of the icy conditions.
She added: “To help protect the NHS, we are encouraging people not to go out in icy conditions unless it is absolutely necessary.
“If they do have to leave their homes, they should ensure they dress warmly, wear sensible shoes with a good grip and take care when on icy surfaces.”
The consultant reiterated the health board’s message to “walk like a penguin” to avoid a nasty fall.
She said: “If you want to stay safe whilst walking on icy paths, our advice is to walk like a penguin – bend the knees, point feet slightly outwards, and extend arms to each side.
“Walk flat-footed, taking short slow steps and keep your centre of gravity over your feet.”