The storms over the last winter wreaked havoc in the landward areas of the north east with hundreds of trees uprooted and left in situ.
That, of course, did not include those which blocked roadways and were cut and removed by the many chainsaw owners who were out doing their bit and saving the council’s time and money.
In many cases, the trees not obstructing the roadways were left but still posed significant danger to anyone using the roadways. This can clearly be seen in the accompanying photograph. Why someone hasn’t eliminated the danger is hard to understand, and whose responsibility is it to do so?
I would suggest that responsibility lies with the landowner on whose ground the tree has its roots. Others say the local councils have a duty to keep the roads safe.
The tree itself must weigh several tons and is poised around 40ft above the ground. I suspect a strong, gusting wind could dislodge it and send it crashing – but hopefully not on top of a passing vehicle.
Personally, I don’t care who does it as long as the job gets done.
TF
Roads must be repaired
Travelling by car on Scotland’s roads is becoming a contest of dodge the pothole and unfortunately doesn’t look likely to be getting better any time soon.
Roughly the cost to repair the country’s roads is £1.7 billion due to years of dereliction.
Local authorities are blaming the Scottish Government budget cuts, while the Scottish Government is claiming that roads are the responsibility of local authorities.
Villages like Fordoun would be low on the list for pothole repairs.
The Scottish Government should prioritise the repairs rather than squabbling about who should pay!
T Shirron, Aberdeen