Fine Gael Deputy Michael Ring has hit out at the local authority for not salting the footpaths of Westport in recent days, which he described as “just a joke” and a “disgrace” as many people were seriously injured from slips.”
As a result, Deputy Ring said he was “embarrassed to be a public representative” as footpaths in “the town of hills” were not properly salted. He added that the local authority “failed” during the last cold snap and again this time around “as the footpaths are just as important as the roads”.
After Sunday Mass Dep Ring said he picked people up from the ground and escorted them across the road. “I think that the council have an obligation and they have failed, the state of the paths were not suitable for human beings,” he added.
Town clerk Ann Moore said that the council is working under the guidelines of the winter maintenance plan and that salt stocks were limited. There is a list of locations where grit is available is on the Mayo County Council website.
Councillor Ollie Gannon said that the winter maintenance plan should be “thrown in the waste basket” as “there is no foresight to look after the paths or bridges in the town.” He “felt ashamed” to be a member of the local authority on Sunday last, where in the space of half an hour he saw five people fall on the footpaths.
Westport Superintendent Mick Murray added that looking after the elderly and vulnerable was “high on the agenda at the moment”.
