Residents of a snowbound Angus street were short-changed by their local authority, it has been claimed.
Kirriemuir has been among the hardest-hit areas in Angus during the recent snowfall, and homeowners in Kinnordy View found themselves opening their doors to walls of snow.
As inhabitants of a “non-adopted” area still under development their snow and ice was mostly ignored by Angus Council.
Property developer Mark Guild criticised the local authority for its refusal to help, while providing a small army of employees and materials to save the estate.
Mr Guild, managing director of Guild Homes Ltd, told The Courier he was filling in for work “the council just don’t want to do.”
A letter to residents asks them to write to council chief executive Richard Stiff, and is strong in its opinions.
“We have had a great many calls from our customers recently regarding gritting and snow clearance within the development,” Mr Guild states.
“Concerns range from not being able to get to work and school, to falling and hurting themselves, and even being snowed in in their own home.
“We would wish to be clear that we share your concerns and as has been demonstrated to date will do our very best to help you where we can.
“We have already spent several thousand pounds on the purchase and spreading of salt, snowploughing the roadways, and even clearing customers’ footpaths and drives where we believe they will have difficulty or are unable to do so themselves.”
Mr Guild said the services the firm provided are free and separate from any landscaping maintenance charges.
Angus Council remained firm on its stance with regards the adoption of roads, where a development must reach completion and have a final layer of tarmac laid.
A council spokeswoman said: “The road at this development is not finished. The final surface and other issues have still to be addressed by the developer.
“The road will not be adopted by the council until it is brought up to the required standard, and until such time the developer is responsible for its maintenance.”
Mr Guild added that he believes the road at the council’s head office in Orchardbank, Forfar, is fully serviced despite remaining unfinished.
“We would simply point out that has not stopped them gritting and snowploughing the public roadway in front of their new council offices during at least the past five years while the road was not adopted,” he added.
Mr Guild believes the road clearance is as much a part of council tax as bin collection, and residents are within their rights to ask for a rebate.
“You are paying full council tax, already paying Angus Council to provide this gritting/snow clearing service,” he stated.
“They are simply choosing not to provide the service to you as they will say the road is not yet fully adopted a rule made up by Angus Council.
“We can confirm 118 houses of the 120 house development are complete and paying full council tax; the public roadway is practically complete with the exception of the top coat of tarmacadam and is suitable for being gritted and snowploughed as we have clearly demonstrated; (and) there is no practical reason for Angus Council not providing you with a gritting and snowploughing service.”
Mr Guild said residents in his firm’s development are eligible for a tax rebate should the local authority “continue to refuse to provide” services.