Letter: Unable to get hold of local councillors

Letter: Recent news reports in your newspaper have highlighted that "unnecessary" street furniture has, and is, being removed from the centre of Ironbridge and its surroundings.

Telford & Wrekin Council, which is carrying out this operation, has in its wisdom removed the grit and salt bins as part of this programme. Hence, over Christmas, the pavements and car parks have literally become skating rinks.

Hard compacted ice on paving slabs have turned the area into a dangerous and lethal area for residents and visitors alike.

To watch people falling over and cars slide into one another is not amusing, someone will be seriously injured or killed.

Trying to contact the council and councillors proved impossible over the holidays. One even stated that the problem could not be sorted out until after the Christmas holidays as the relevant person capable of remedying the situation was on holiday.

After a desperate plea on Radio Shropshire, an emergency grit team was despatched which resulted in a gritted road, but no treatment to the icy pavements as parked cars blocked the throw of grit.

Does the council not have wheelbarrows and operatives to use them?

To put the icing on the cake, excuse the pun, the one councillor who did contact me said that their families were more important to them at Christmas time than the residents they serve. What? They are elected to serve the community 365 days a year.

Obviously people injuring themselves and vehicles is not important to them.

Graham Hickman

Ironbridge