By Liz Fowler

Tenants in a Montrose sheltered housing complex have been shocked to discover staff are being told not to clear snow and ice from the pathways, leaving them effectively imprisoned in their homes in bad weather.

It is a heartless dereliction of duty, says Ann Sim, considering each household is charged £107 a month for general maintenance.

The Servite sheltered housing complex in Standard Close has 29 flats accommodating the frail and elderly.

All the pathways have been laid with flagstones which can become like a skating rink when temperatures dip below freezing.

But notices have been erected advising residents that staff are no longer responsible for helping keep the pathways and car park free of snow and ice.

They clearly instruct that staff should not undertake snow clearance. Grit is provided and can be used in icy conditions, it is stated, and tenants and their relatives or carers are welcome to use it.

It is emphasised Servite is not responsible for ensuring the safety of the walkways during extreme weather conditions.

Mrs Sim said, “It was Servite’s choice to cover all the pathways in flagstones.

“They are so smooth they can be really dangerous when it is icy.

“Some of the houses are quite a distance from the grit boxes. It is all right for them to tell us to stay indoors, but some of us have appointments to keep and lives to get on with.

“This complex is located conveniently close to the High Street, which is kept clear of snow and ice by the council. It is ridiculous if some people can’t make the short distance to the town centre simply because nobody will spread the grit here for us.

“Some of the residents here are well through their 90s. The last thing you need at that age is broken bones.”

Servite business development director Andrew Kilpatrick was unapologetic, saying residents should stay indoors if it was icy.

He said the policy advising staff against helping with snow clearing or gritting had been introduced out of consideration for their health and safety.

He said, “We appreciate our sheltered schemes have a large number of older and more frail residents. However our advice to them if they feel it is unsafe underfoot is to stay indoors.”

He said he appreciated the frustration of some people at being unable to reach the High Street. “But the council uses mechanised vehicles to clear the main footpaths. Our staff would need to be on foot to clear the pathways in the complex, therefore putting themselves at the same risk of falling as the residents.”

He said Servite would consider calling in an outside contractor to clear the pathways, but only in the event of very extreme weather, where treacherous conditions underfoot might be expected to last for several days.

The £107 monthly charge on householders on top of rent, he said, was to cover general maintenance of grounds including tree pruning and upkeep of the common room and laundry.