Now is the winter of our discontent

Sarah Saunderson • Published 7 Jan 2010 09:00 0 Comments

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After the misery of the flooding before Christmas, we are now in the grip of sub-zero temperatures that have held firm since mid-December.

Whilst the flooding was absolutely devastating for pockets of the county, the frost, snow and ice, and the life-changing causes they bring, has been widespread.

And rural and urban are suffering. At the Council meeting on Monday, the urban area of Cavanaleck and the rural area of Cooneen were both cited as places where people were having difficulty getting out because of icy roads and footpaths.

Schools have also been affected across the county. Killyhommon Primary School in Boho, the school whose teachers and pupils showed such resilience in the flooding, was closed yesterday (Wednesday). Buses had carried both teachers and pupils going to and from the school through high floods but the ice on side roads rightly defeated them this week as pupil safety on slippery roads was paramount. Belleek primary schools are to be closed all this week.

The problem of bringing school meals from centralised kitchens to smaller, rural schools is also a factor.

Throughout the holidays, a number of schools also suffered burst pipes. Praise must go to maintenance staff who ensured that no school failed to open this week due to burst pipes.

People have been fulsome in giving flak to the Council for the state of the roads and footpaths. Once again, Council officers have moved to explain it is not the responsibility of Council to keep the roads or footpaths ice-free. Council workers distribute grit from Roads Service on footpaths to ensure that some urban areas are passable, but it is not the Council's statutory responsibility. It's an agreement that should be re-visited, Councillors believe. They have been on the receiving end of a lot of complaints about the state of the roads and footpaths and report that one farmer is planning not to pay his rates in protest. If this did happen, the local Council would be on the receiving end of his wrath for a situation that is out of their control.

The people living on ungritted side roads really are the losers in all of this. Ice that formed on December 20 is still on these roads and have made them impassable on occasion for bin collections, as well as treacherous for getting out and about.

There have been calls to grit these roads - a reported 20 per cent of the county's carriageways. Certainly it's time to do the budgeting to see what this could cost and make some hard choices. If the gritting budget for main roads is being stretched given the severity of the cold weather, a lot more money will be required to extend the scheme.

The only people who may be enjoying this weather are the hundreds of youngsters who are still on school holidays as their schools have yet to re-open. It may not only be young people who need to heed the police's warning as adults can also be tempted, but it's worth reiterating that icy lakes and waterways are NOT a safe place to go walking, cycling or driving. An inch of ice can give way, leading to potentially fatal consequences.

Stay off the ice this winter.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 07 Jan 10

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