A woman has hit out at a “disgraceful” lack of gritting on Dundee paths after she hit her head slipping on black ice.
Lorraine Ritchie, 56, was injured when she fell on a path near South Road.
Despite the area, behind the Lynch Sports Centre, being well-used, Lorraine said she has not seen the pavements gritted since the current cold snap began.
She suffered a lump to her head when she fell walking her chihuahua, Sid, but said she was lucky not to be more seriously injured.
“It just looked a bit frosty but it was all black ice underneath,” she said.
“Next thing I knew I was up on the air and landed on my head. My head actually bounced off the pavement.
“I just had to lie there, it was so slippy I couldn’t even get up. I had to crawl on my hands and knees over to the grass to pull myself up. I was nearly in tears with the pain.”
Lorraine uses the route to get to work at Ninewells Hospital but said she has been scared to walk in the area since she fell on Saturday.
She has complained to both Tayside Contracts and Dundee City Council but claimed neither have accepted responsibility.
“I understand they need to do the roads but what about the pedestrians?” she asked.
“I know an old man in his 80s who fell nearby and split his head open. All of the pavements are a disgrace, it’s just not good enough.
“Sid was slipping all over the place. He is so small if he fell he would break a leg.
“The way I landed I could have been seriously injured.
“I’m scared to go out now. When I do have to walk to work I feel like an old woman, clinging to the rails.”
Lorraine said rain, snow and below-freezing temperatures mean the paths have become even icier since her accident. Her husband tried to treat them himself but said the nearby grit bins have been removed.
The problem has been reflected across Tayside, as a Perthshire mother hit out at frozen paths in an Auchterarder park.
Mum slams ‘dangerous’ conditions of frozen-over Auchterarder park
Lorraine added: “I’ve never known the pavements to be this bad.
“I’m not normally one for complaining but I feel like nobody is taking it seriously and someone is going to be seriously hurt.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said the city’s entire gritting fleet has been working on roads and paths, as well as refilling grit bins.
“There are approximately 550km of adopted roads and 900km of adopted pavements throughout Dundee,” they said.
“Around £1.5m is spent each year dealing with winter conditions on these roads and footways.
“The road and footway networks have been gritted continuously on a prioritisation over the course of the past week.
“With the forecast for the remainder of this week being for continuation of low temperatures, the winter maintenance service will continue to be deployed on all routes in the city.
“Information on the council’s winter maintenance policy and routes, together with self-help advice can be accessed at www.dundeecity.gov.uk/winter-maintenance“
