An Aberdeenshire councillor has claimed thousands of north-east people are facing treacherous conditions this winter because the local authority plans to prioritise some towns and villages over others.
The local authority has released plans for safeguarding footpaths, costing an additional £20,000, during the winter months.
It follows concerns that gritters were not leaving depots until 8am to treat major pathways affected by ice or frost.
However, the authority has now unveiled its proposals for the colder weather which could mean 34 communities will not be treated prior to 8am, with more than 20 missing out entirely.
Among the areas that will not be gritted until after 8am is Westhill, which has a population of 11,600.
And last night, councillor Iris Walker, stated that she was disappointed at the plans.
She said: “It seems that Westhill wakes up later than the rest of Aberdeenshire.
“I think the residents are going to be asking serious questions as to why they seem to be missing out.”
Footways across the area have been categorised as either F1, F2, F3 or F4, with F1 being the highest.
That process is based on a number of factors, including the footfall through town centres and proximity to hospitals and other medical facilities.
Footpaths in Portlethen, with a population of 8,200, and Macduff, which has 4,030 residents, will also not be treated.
And Macduff councillor Hamish Partridge has now called for an overhaul of the proposals.
He said: “It’s vital that the pathways are gritted before 8am because, if you are catching a bus or walking to work, it will be too late.
“At the end of the day, Macduff is one of the biggest towns in Banff and Buchan, but smaller villages are just as important and people still have to walk to work.”
Some north-east communities will miss out entirely, including Balmedie, Pitmedden and Newburgh.
But opposition leader Jim Gifford has defended the proposals and said: “It’s a case of having to cut your cloth to suit the budget you have.
“It’s going to be challenging, to put it mildly, but we can’t possibly be everywhere at once, even if we had the money.”
In addition to the categories, the authority is also proposing a snow warden scheme which would involve the community treating their own paths using council-provided grit bins.
The proposals are currently being discussed by the council’s area committees.