An Arbroath wheelchair user has hit out at the state of the roadside paths around the town after becoming stranded with his infant son on his lap.
Scott Robertson, 36, who has been using a chair for 12 years, criticised the condition of the route alongside the A92 leading from the town to the village of Marywell.
He is one of a group of residents fed up with the poor condition of the mile-long stretch, linking the village to restaurants and shop on the outskirts of Arbroath.
“It’s just not safe,” he said.
“I have become stuck on the path with my son on my lap and if it wasn’t for a passer-by I wouldn’t have been able to get away.
“The path is too narrow and is covered in gravel and the wheels just slipped.”
The group have been told Angus Council consider the frequently used path to be “low priority” for additional maintenance.
“It’s disappointing to say the least,” he added.
The route was blocked just outside Arbroath until Monday afternoon due to trees having collapsed over the route.
Beth Wells, 40, said she has had to step into the path of traffic, some travelling at speeds in excess of 60mph, to make the short walk into town “to meet family for a cuppy”.
She said she has frequently had trouble when trying to get past with her two sons – one five years old and the other one and a half.
She said: “I would like to take my boy on his bike, but it’s far too dangerous.”
The recent allocation of at least £3m towards building walking and cycling paths in Arbroath’s harbour area has left her particularly angry, she added.
The majority of the funding for the circa £13m project will be provided by Active Travel charity Sustrans after the council became the only town in Scotland to win an award under the charity’s Places for Everyone scheme.
“There are a lot of other proposals in Arbroath the council could have put forward for the Sustrans funding,” she added.
Councillor Brenda Durno of Angus Council’s SNP group, hit out at the administration for failing to find the money to upgrade the path.
“I have been working with the Marywell residents for nearly a year and this is a huge problem for those who are disabled or pushing buggies.
Referring to the conditions which led to the path being judged “low priority”, she said: “This group should not be disadvantaged because they do not live close to a school or other government building.”
An Angus Council spokesman said: “Our roads team attended in the area on Monday to remove tree branches that have been obstructing the footpath.
“Maintenance and repair work to the footway will also be carried out.”
He said there were “no plans at present to provide a new sealed footway surface in this area” by the council would be “undertaking public consultation for 2020/21, which provides an opportunity for members of the public to make suggestions and requests that can be added to our next programme of works.”
