Police probe region's great grit robbery

POLICE are investigating a spate of grit thefts as supplies came close to running out across the Lothians, it emerged today.

Council chiefs, who have been inundated with complaints about untreated roads and pavements, say private firms were spotted emptying the grit bins as soon as they were filled.

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It comes as the grit crisis led to a series of road accidents, bins going uncollected for more than three weeks in parts of Edinburgh, and even city supermarkets running out of table salt.

Today, all Lothian councils said they were expecting fresh deliveries of grit after a ship docked in Leith yesterday with 2,000 tonnes of salt. A further delivery is expected at Rosyth today, with all councils expecting further supplies throughout the week.

The theft of grit was reported in West Lothian, where council officials suspect private firms of emptying council on-street bins. Similar thefts have also been reported across other parts of the country.

Workers are understood to have watched as one grit bin was emptied just minutes after they had filled it up and they believe the same thing has happened on numerous occasions.

A spokeswoman said: "It has been reported that as we fill grit bins, contractors' vehicles have been spotted taking grit we believe to do private work – leaving the bins empty within minutes.

"This has been reported to the police."

While there have been no reported thefts in Edinburgh, city council chiefs admitted that many parts of the city had not been gritted, with some bins going uncollected because lorries cannot get through.

Opposition councillors said the Capital was "awash with complaints" from residents who have endured dangerously icy streets from before Christmas.

Councillor Andrew Burns, leader of the Labour group on the city council, said: "Whilst I appreciate that main routes have to be cleared as a priority, these weather conditions have now been with us for over a week and very few residential pavements and roads appear to have been cleared.

"It is simply not acceptable to leave so many frail and vulnerable residents at the mercy of such icy and treacherous streets.

"The politicians in charge need to get a grip of the services they are responsible for and start to remedy this unacceptable situation immediately."

Elsewhere, Midlothian Council denied accusations that gritter trucks had been sent out empty as a face-saving exercise, despite supplies running out at the Fushiebridge depot near Gorebridge on Friday.

A spokesman said levels had been "down to the wire", but said workers had managed to "eek it out" by using whinstone to make supplies go further.

Police said the icy conditions had led to dozens of minor accidents across the Capital, including four at one junction alone yesterday morning.

Residents living between Broomlea Crescent and Broomhall Road said the roads had been like a "sheet of ice", leading to four separate crashes yesterday morning.

Council bosses in the Capital said they had gritted major routes, but due to ongoing snowfall had left many residential roads untouched.

An AA spokeswoman said: "Yesterday we received about 18,000 calls when the usual number would be about 11,000. A lot of these calls were from the Edinburgh area, and we predict many more in forthcoming days.

"We would advise people not to travel unless they absolutely have to. If you do have to drive, stick to major routes and keep a shovel and charged mobile with you at all times."

Meanwhile, residents desperate to clear their driveways and nearby pavements have been flocking to supermarkets to purchase salt, with many now completely sold out.

A spokesman for Sainsbury's on St Andrew Square said any salt deliveries the store had received since Christmas Day had sold out within a couple of hours.

The Tesco store on Broughton Road reported that despite getting a delivery yesterday morning, the store was down to a few packets by 11am. Adverts offering grit for sale also appeared on websites including eBay and Gumtree.

Councillor Robert Aldridge, the city's environment leader, said staff were working "round the clock" to clear roads and footpaths.

He said: "They are continuing to progress through our priority treatment system but are having to return to and re-treat principal routes, such as busy main roads and routes to hospitals, following each fall of snow.

"Because of extremely cold temperatures, some footpaths may remain icy even after treatment and we would urge members of the public to tread carefully."

He added: "Unfortunately, there have been delays affecting some refuse collection routes due to the current cold snap, with some particularly icy roads becoming inaccessible to collection vehicles.

"We would urge residents and trade waste customers to please bear with us as we tackle the backlog – if your bin has not yet been collected, please leave it out on the kerbside and it will be collected as soon as possible."

'I saw one woman cry because she couldn't walk'

Laura Cummings

PENSIONERS have told how they have been left "prisoners in their own homes" since the start of the cold snap as the streets outside their homes have been transformed into ice rinks.

Alfie Hill, 69, who lives in the Inch, has not left his flat for three weeks and has been forced to live on tinned food because he is too frightened to visit the local shop for fear of falling over on the frozen pavements.

Charles Boyle, 84, has fallen three times in as many weeks on the treacherous pavements near his home in Gracemount, but luckily managed to escape injury.

Mr Boyle, who suffers from angina and is blind in one eye, said: "I am a prisoner in my own house and so are all the pensioners along the road. I usually go out a lot but the streets in the area have not been gritted – the pavements and roads are the worst I have ever known, it's a disgrace. It took me half an hour to walk round to the shop yesterday, which is only 400 yards away.

"I saw an old woman crying a few days ago because she couldn't walk. She couldn't get into the shop – I had to open the door for her. It was like the blind leading the blind."

Mr Boyle, who has lived in Gracemount for more than 50 years, has only ventured out three times since the snow started last month, and fallen over each time.

Ian Murray, councillor for Liberton and Gilmerton, said he had received more than 55 complaints since 23 December from residents whose streets had not been gritted.

Nigel Griffiths, Labour MP for South Edinburgh, said: "Some of the most vulnerable people are trapped in their homes because our Liberal Democrat-run council have abandoned all attempts to keep our pavements clear."

Meanwhile, Mr Hill, who worked for the council's cleansing department, said during harsh winters – before he retired – the council had lorries backing up road sweepers as they gritted pavements in emergencies.

He said: "We used to get winters like this all the time but we were much better prepared. I have never seen the roads and pavements like this in my entire life. It is a total disgrace and I'm really disappointed with the council, who have had plenty time to prepare for this. It's shocking how the council have treated us – we are like prisoners. Even the young ones are struggling to walk.

"I usually go out to the shops every day, I had a heart bypass about a year ago so I'm supposed to get exercise. But I can't get out the house at all, I've been living on tinned stuff and my neighbour brought me homemade soup.

"A week ago I tried to go out but I only got to my hedge – it is impossible to walk. I was lucky to get back in."

Frank McCudden, 77, from Caiystane Avenue has repeatedly had to scrape away ice and snow from his front porch since the big freeze started. The pensioner, who had a knee operation 18 months ago, fears a fall could leave him seriously disabled.

Pensioner Mary Corbett, who lives in Gracemount, added: "Apart from going to my daughter's for Christmas, I haven't been out since before 16 December. When my daughter came to get me I was hanging on to her like grim death to get to the car, I was on the point of trembling."

Nicola Murray, 57, who lives in Colinton Village, said: "We have all been marooned here for three weeks, with continuous snow and ice. The last grit lorry appeared on Boxing Day. Now there are cars abandoned and trapped all over the place."