Call for action over ice danger

By [jbrown]

CALLS have been made for more action over ice in Yeovil town centre after people tending a man hurt in a fall were almost hit by an ambulance skidding as it came to his aid.

Week-long Arctic conditions resulted in at least three people requiring hospital treatment after slipping on ice in the town centre.

In one incident on Friday, people helping an elderly man who had fallen over near the Jessops camera shop narrowly escaped injuring themselves from a skidding ambulance.

Iain Fulton, 38, a security guard for Denners department store, was among those at the scene. He had radioed police asking for Middle Street to be gritted before the incident.

"We rallied around to get first aid and blankets. Two taxis were skidding all the way down the road. We managed to push them out of the way.

"Then the ambulance came down from near Boots and started to slide down the road. Luckily for all the people on the floor it hit the lamp post. If the lamp post hadn't been there I'm pretty sure there would have been five or six other casualties. Why wasn't the road gritted or closed? I think they could have done more."

A shop worker, also at the scene said: "There have been people slipping about and falling over all over the place. The ambulance came down and started skidding. I thought it was going to knock all these people over, it was awful."

The fall victim, believed to be in his 80s, was taken to Yeovil District Hospital with head injuries. After the paramedics arrived Mr Fulton went to stop more traffic coming down the road.

Around 3pm the same day a man, aged in his 70s, slipped over on ice outside the Tesco store and was picked up from Carisbrooke Gardens with chest and rib injuries. He was taken by 4x4 to Yeovil District Hospital.

On Thursday a call was made by a member of the public who saw an elderly man, aged around 85, fall over on the ice on Middle Street outside Ladbrokes.

A spokesman for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust said: "There have been a few incidents involving ambulances. They are driving on the same roads as the public with an added sense of urgency. Over the last week 20 to 25 per cent of calls to us have been for falls and the elderly have been the worst affected as they are the most fragile when falling."

Some traders and community leaders condemned local authorities for failing to grit town centre and residential roads.

Lee Skevington, prospective Labour Party parliamentary candidate for Yeovil said: "I am a resident in Yeovil's east ward and am exceedingly concerned over the complete failure to grit or salt the footpaths in the area.

"I am an able-bodied person yet despite this still managed to fall over three times in one day. My concern is for the fair proportion of people in the area who live in sheltered housing. It appears that they have been left completely stranded in their homes due to the ice.

"I was very surprised that no measures have been taken to remove the ice from the footpaths surrounding the sheltered housing. These people are exceedingly vulnerable, either disabled or elderly, and deserve better.

"Surely ensuring their safety and well-being during a time such as this should be an absolute priority for a local authority."

Mark Staples, owner of The Sweeterie on Middle Street said: "We have had a big drop in trade and have had to close early a few times. Four people that I know of have fallen over badly. It's not good. Something should have been done."

Andy Harries said: "Torvill and Dean would have been hard pressed to make it to the public toilets behind Millets."

Clive White of Yeovil said: "As the week rolled by, the ice remained on the pavements getting even more dangerous by the day, but no grit was put on the most dangerous areas."

A Somerset County Council spokesman said the shopping centre of Yeovil was not treated because it is not part of the priority network.

Only 21 per cent of roads are treated. A review last year listed links between main towns, freight routes, and access for emergency services and schools as the priorities.

A council leaflet states: "Resources are not available to treat all roads. We can't salt all roads. We can't keep roads free of snow and ice all the time.

"In some parishes salt bins are located at key points to encourage self-help. The county council provides salt in these locations on the understanding that it is used for highway purposes."

Vega Sturgess, director for operations and customer focus for South Somerset District Council said: "Gritting and salting public highways including roads and pavements, is not the responsibility of the district council."

Alan Tawse, Town Clerk of Yeovil said: "It isn't the Town Council's responsibility to treat roads. Myself and our maintenance operative have been out to help the county council, using our van to load grit into the van and deliver it to grit bins in the town.

"We do realise they are very pressed to grit the roads

"We have also been using our website to give people information about how to draw the county council's attention to roads that need gritting."

Yarlington Housing Group spokesman Amanda Matthews said steps had been taken to ensure elderly and vulnerable residents were looked after in the company's properties.

But she added in some cases paths covered in ice were left as they were to discourage people from venturing out.

She said: "We recommended that residents stayed inside, safe and warm, until conditions improved.

"If this presented any problems to them, they were able to contact us and we were able to assist them."

James Richards, chairman of Yeovil Chamber of Trade, said he was content with the state of the town centre.

He continued: "Trade will be affected because of the snow – people can't get in and out of town. Main roads have been clear although side roads have been a bit difficult.

"People do need to take their own responsibility and take care when walking on snow.

"This is where community comes in. For people who are unsteady on their feet and unable to get out, neighbours should be looking out for them.

"Trade nationally was up six per cent over the Christmas period which has got to be a good thing.

"I think the town centre people have cleared the walk ways the best they can. It seemed fine to me on Saturday. It was jolly cold and people needed to watch their step."