Work to clear fallen trees at an Angus beauty spot could still take months – as workers are “not trained to deal with the size and scale of the issue”.
Dozens of trees have been left blocking some paths at Crombie Country Park, north-east of Monikie, since they were blown over during Storm Arwen in November 2021.
It means people using wheelchairs, bikes and prams are unable to access some areas.
Visitors have previously complained that the trees were posing a health and safety risk, amid fears someone could be “impaled” when trying to climb over one.
More locals have now come forward to criticise the state of the park.
One woman who visits the area regularly told The Courier: “It’s a tragedy.
“Crombie used to be brilliant – you had all sorts of groups going there.
“There were people in wheelchairs that went around and kids on pushbikes, all sorts of things.
‘It’s been utterly neglected’
“It deserves to be the jewel of Angus but it’s just been utterly neglected.
“It should be accessible to people and it’s a shame that it’s not.”
Colin Knight, senior manager at council arm’s-length body AngusAlive – which runs the site – said: “Following the storm damage, it has been and continues to be a huge challenge that lies in front of us to safely remove the fallen trees and reopen the full path network at the venue.
“Angus Council are currently tendering to receive estimates from arborists and tree surgery specialists and AngusAlive are working in this joint approach with them, to complete a planned approach to tree clearance, the path network reopening and the costs associated with this.
“Crombie Country Park is open but we would highlight that care should be taken when visiting the wooded areas of the park with some paths currently inaccessible.
“Our teams are not trained to deal with the size and scale of the issue and the ongoing work with our partners and external companies will be crucial in helping clear the fallen trees in the coming months.”
Conversation