Residents in Peterculter are living in fear of stepping outside their own homes as a constant stream of water turns their street into a sheet of ice.
The houses on The Bush are plagued with water run off from private land that forms a river of water that runs down the private road and in turn fills potholes in the street.
As it is classed as a private road, Aberdeen City Council no longer grit the surface, in spite of a council bin lorry pend at the top of the hill at the end of the street.
One resident, Graham Wales from The Bush said a build up of issues has created an “absolutely lethal” situation for residents.
Mr Wales said runoff water from private land started three years ago, and it has been made worse by heavy vehicles creating potholes making the icy conditions worse.
The road is covered in sheet ice every year
He said: “The road gets chewed up very badly so there’s lots of very big potholes. In the past the council used to fill in the potholes.
“Bin lorries still use the road but the council don’t grit and it doesn’t fill in the potholes.”
Mr Wales said that land opposite his house was making matters worse.
He said: “It was owned by Culter Estate and was looked after Mackinnons solicitors before being taken over.
“There’s water that constantly runs onto the street so you end up with sheet ice.
“The council aren’t gritting it so it’s up to us to try our best to grit it. But the unfortunate thing is, the grit bin is at the bottom of the road, and we have to cross the sheet ice to get to it.”
According to Mr Wales, a resident of Peterculter road since 2000, the runoff water has been affecting the street for more than 15 years and has “created a gulley” in the road.
Mr Wales said he, backed by another 30 residents on the street, have approached councillors, the council and the new private landowner about the issue – but have received no answer to their problem.
A survey was carried out on the land, at one point, to try and figure out what the cause of the constant water was.
But when he asked about the results, Mr Wales was told they could not be shared as it was not his property.
‘Could actually kill someone’
“The silence is deafening,” the 63-year-old added.
“This is dangerous, this is absolutely lethal. I know that people have fallen at the top of the road.
“One lady cut her face, another lady lay there for half an hour because people in the house next to where she fell couldn’t get out to help her because of the ice.
“It’s just going to take a car to not be able to stop at the bottom of the road. You then slide onto Malcolm Road and get hit by a bus or hit a pedestrian.
“The idea that it is cost saving in the council’s eye, it’s not going to be a cost saving because the cost is going to be somebody being in hospital with broken hips.
“They could actually kill somebody and that’s a major safety issue.”
Aberdeen City Council said a notice in regard to the water leak had been served to the owner of the land.
A spokeswoman said: “It’s a private road and it used to be gritted years ago when there was a roads depot within The Bush.
“We have supplied one-tonne of salt bags to the residents and a notice has been served on the owner of the land to resolve the water leak.”
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