An isolated Moray community is being cut off because of “insufficient” gritting causing lorries to skid on ice, residents have claimed.
Kelly Stewart, who lives at Braes of Glenlivet, says her three children have been forced to miss school three times within a month because lorries have slipped off a road leading to their home and blocked them in.
She blames Moray Council, arguing that the frequently frosty route is not being given enough grit.
And she expressed fears that the problem could get worse, with fire engines potentially unable to pass by stricken heavy goods vehicles to reach emergencies.
Mrs Stewart first raised complaints in late November, after the council downgraded the back road outside her home so that it is now gritted less often.
And she said her problems have been compounded by the fact that the main road leading to that route, which is still gritted to previous levels, is not being given a sufficient coating.
She said: “Lorries getting stuck has been a problem, as it cuts off the whole community of about 40 people, and we still have months of this to go.
“The priority one route is the only way in and out, and it isn’t being gritted sufficiently, so when lorries get stuck on it we are trapped.
“A fire engine wouldn’t get past one of those lorries, which is a big concern.”
A Moray Council spokesman insisted that the road was being gritted to an acceptable standard and blamed the lorry drivers involved for failing to take care in icy conditions.
He said: “The council is consistently applying the maximum level of salt and grit to the priority roads in that area.
“There are also no recent records of our school transport being unable to operate as a result of no gritting in Glenlivet, so we don’t believe this to be the case either.
“We have had no reports of vehicles having difficulties or coming off the road, but even treated roads still have to be driven on with care.”
Mrs Stewart pointed out that lorry slips are usually dealt with by the firms involved, and would not necessarily be reported to the council.