Council staff are facing flak from the public over potholes in Ross & Cromarty roads, it has been claimed.
Speaking at Highland Council’s area committee meeting in Dingwall yesterday, councillor Kate Stephen (Wester Ross, Strathpeffer & Lochalsh) said meeting angry people was a feature of her life.
She said: “I accept my role, but I feel for staff being abused by the public because they are so angry. I understand it, but it is incessant, council staff can never do enough.
“This winter has been horrendous and they have gone the extra mile, but we have a major problem in terms of what happens on our rural roads.
“Our ward is really struggling, it’s difficult for people to travel about nowadays.”
Road operations manager Ian Moncrieff told councillors that this winter had been especially difficult with low temperatures over an extended period.
He said: “By starting early we have managed to deliver 34 out of 46 schemes on the roads maintenance programmes.
“We plan to go round the wards to work out priorities for delivering as much of this year’s programme as possible, including deferred schemes.”
Councillor Biz Campbell pressed Mr Moncrieff about the possibility of the council using plastic waste as road infill.
He said: “We haven’t used or investigated this yet, but we have found out that by using a chemical agent we can reactivate and recycle tar every time we rip up a section of road.
“The recycled material is reported to have lasted the winter well and if we can use it on roads taking less traffic, that’s a considerable saving.”