IT seems to me that the first duty of Fife Council is to keep its residents safe.

By removing 200 grit bins and prioritising roads, it left people to skid and slide their way round the likes of Cupar and other towns and villages such as Cowdenbeath and Lochgelly on pavements that had turned into ice rinks.

That is clearly a failure in decision making and all bins should be immediately re-instated, not only by request as the current policy advises.

This is also hopelessly short sighted. A friend of mine in his 70’s fell on the ice in Cupar last Thursday, broke his hip and has now had it replaced.

This is an unwanted trauma for him and his family, and a cost to the taxpayer of tens of thousands of £s.

Multiply his experience by 100 plus and you have a rough estimate of the avoidable cost to the Council budget.

The bins were removed to save £125,000. A simple cold snap has cost many times that number. Re-instate all bins now, and apply common sense in future is my message.

COUNCILLOR TONY MIKLINSKI,

Cupar Ward.