A PENSIONER whose car was affected by paint from council work has complained about the way houses in Cowdenbeath are being painted, and is concerned about how unsuspecting residents are being affected by the spray.

William McKenzie (74), lives in Woodside and is unhappy with the work that recently took place in his street, where the council painted houses using a spray gun instead of traditional brush and roller methods. William, whose newly-sprayed car was stained, thinks that the way the work has been carried out is unacceptable.

“It’s diabolical what they’re doing,” he said. “They sent a letter through the door stating that the houses will be painted and telling us to move our cars away. I moved mine to the tarmac island about 50yds from my house but it still got covered in paint.

“I bought a 1994 Fiesta and I’ve been doing it up and making it look smart. It’s the only thing going on in my life at the moment. It’s all I’ve got and I’m proud of it. I used to be proud of my garden but I can’t do that any more so I’ve been putting everything into the car.

“I spent £1100 on getting the car spray painted and now it’s covered in paint spray from the houses. They sent me a letter saying it’s in the hands of a lawyer but I don’t know what to do about it - I’m stuck. I can’t afford to do things like that on a pension.” William is also concerned about people breathing in the spray. “There’s a school and an old-folks home in the vicinity, and a young girl down the road who has just had a baby,” he said. “The paint spray travelled the length of the street through the air, affecting cars and washing on the line. There’s been ten days of people walking down the street breathing in these paint fumes, and it could carry to two or three streets on a windy day. There are other sites to be done as well and it’s not fair on the general public.” However Fife Council responded by assuring the public that the spray paint did not pose any health risks. Roddy Bayne, property maintenance team manager, said, “We use spray paint for larger painting projects like this as it is more efficient, more economical and creates a more even coverage. The paint we use is water-based and is entirely safe. This kind of work is monitored under strict health and safety standards.

“We notified all the residents in the area prior to any painting work taking place and we had warning signs up. As an extra measure we used the council vans to try to restrict access to the affected areas but obviously could not block off the entire area. Any vehicles were left in the area at the owners’ own risk. We are aware that unfortunately one vehicle was affected and an offer was made at the time to have the paint cleaned off the car but this was declined.”