Published: Thursday, 14th January, 2010 3:13pm

Holes of concern for councillor

by Jim Stark

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Cowdenbeath councillor John Simpson has written to Fife Council transportation boss Dr Bob McLellan asking for immediate action to be taken to address the condition of the road surface on Cowdenbeath High Street.

Mr Simpson says that some of the pot holes that have appeared over recent days are getting worse and are a danger to drivers and pedestrians alike.

Fife Council's transportation department has been surveying the High Street and are aware of the problems posed by the holes.

Councillor Simpson told the Times, "I understand that the severe frost is having a bad impact on the condition of roads and pavements but the council will need to be geared up to tackle the worst effects as a matter of urgency as they pose real health and safety risks for drivers and indeed pedestrians.

"The surface on Cowdenbeath High Street is simply breaking up in places and while I don't drive, I can see that these holes will cause real damage to cars and more importantly poses a risk to people.

"I want immediate action to get the holes patched up and I will then be requesting a meeting to discuss what we are going to do to get the road properly fixed".

Mr Simpson, the former Provost of Fife, also warned that more money will need to be found to deal with the frost damage to roads right across Fife.

Frank Warrington from the transportation service said that inspectors had been out and about on the High Street and had located a number of holes needing attention.

He hoped that repair teams would be able to tackle these problems in the very near future.

But Councillor Simpson added, "The true cost of this winter will not be known for many months to come but it is clear that more money will be required to mend the roads and pavements that have been damaged by the frost.

"It is now about reprioritising and I am not convinced that we can continue to spend millions on celebrating Fife and putting adverts on the telly while our roads and pavements disintegrate and are not safe for people to use.".

He concluded, "What this winter shows is that the majority of people expect their local council to deliver basic local services to a satisfactory standard and that is where our priority as councillors must focus".