A north-east mum has pleaded with Aberdeenshire Council to protect the children of a tiny community whom she claims risk their lives to play in the park.
Amanda Ross lives at Bogroy Crescent near the Banffshire village of Cornhill. The quiet rural street faces onto an open grassy field, used by more than a dozen children in the evenings and during holidays.
But after a row over youngsters using quad bikes on the public ground several years ago, the local authority erected a fence to discourage children from abusing the green.
Mrs Ross, a mother of four children, said the fence was forcing kids to walk near the A9022 Portsoy to Gordonstown road. She has complained to the local authority and called on them to improve safety.
She added: “I moved in a year ago this month. Some kids used to play on quad bikes and we had a bit of bother.
“Then we were told the kids couldn’t play on the grass altogether, no ball games.
“Next thing, they put up a wire fence. We want a new gate put in – it’s a 60mph road and a lot of the cars go even faster than that.”
She added that the parents’ pleas to the council had so far fallen on deaf ears.
Mark Leith, chairman of the local community council, has backed their campaign and said: “This public ground, as I grew up, was an area which had football goals o and was used as a play area.
“A number of years ago, there was a neighbourhood fall-out when some of the children used the area for playing on mini quad bikes. This resulted in the council being involved.”
Mr Leith argued he was “horrified” at the situation, adding: “The area of ground has been fenced off with a basic post and wire fence, fencing off the crescent but not the boundary access from the exceptionally busy main road.”
He explained the only access from the houses was through an “agricultural gate” which was too heavy to be “child-friendly”.
Aberdeenshire Council was unable to comment last night.
