Council orders bunting removed for ‘health & safety’

A COUNCIL has ordered colourful bunting to be taken down in a Scottish town due to concerns over health and safety.

Aberdeenshire council ordered the decorations to be taken down. Picture: Gary Hutchison

Decorations were hung up next to a war memorial to brighten up Inverurie town square over the summer two weeks ago.

But the traders’ group responsible for the bunting was told it needed to be taken down and warned they could be charged for the work to remove it.

Inverurie4U member Cheryl Rogerson described the situation as “ludicrous”, that Aberdeenshire Council was threatening to make a voluntary group pay for its work in the community.

She said: “Inverurie4U is an independent group of local traders who put money in from their own businesses to enhance the town and do things for the community. We’ve never had any issues before; this time they said it was due to health and safety.

“Surely they have more pressing issues to consider in Inverurie than a bit of bunting. It’s only up for six weeks and then we take it down again. It’s ludicrous and very heavy-handed.”

The council yesterday stressed that recent winds and heavy rain highlighted how the bunting could have caused safety issues.

Philip McKay, head of roads and landscape services at Aberdeenshire Council, said: “Permission was never sought to erect the bunting, but it had been allowed in the community spirit.

“An agreement was reached with organisers that the bunting would be removed last week due to concerns over public safety caused by the way it was attached to street furniture.

“It is not the case the legal action was threatened.”

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