Mayor hits outat '˜disgusting'state of path

The was the reaction of town Mayor Councillor Brian Burbidge following 
complaints from a resident about the condition of the pavement in Louth Road.

Speaking at last week’s town council meeting, the resident said sections of the 
pavement were a safety hazard.

He questioned why Lincolnshire County Council had repaired a pavement in Low Toynton Road which ‘was hardly used’ - but not done anything about Louth Road which is much busier.

In reply, the town’s county councillor Bill Aron confirmed he was aware of the issue but said the authority still had to ‘prioritise’ repairs, despite receiving an extra £3.4m in Government funding to deal with pot holes and other road issues.

Coun Aron urged all residents and fellow councillor to report any issues via the approved county council system.

He said he would pass on the concerns about the pavement.

He said he understood the pavement was due to be repaired.

Coun Burbidge said the condition of the pavement had detiorated because of work on two housing developments 
in Louth Road.

He told the meeting that HGVs had driven across the pavement to access the 
building sites - damaging the pavement in the process.

He added: “I’ve been up to have a look and the pavement is in a disgusting state.

“People are having to take their lives in their hands by stepping onto the road - because the pavement is so bad.”

Coun Burbidge also urged residents to report issues but again repeated his recent claim that the county 
council’s reporting system 
was ‘not fit for purpose.’

District councillor Richard Avison said he reported the condition of the pavement to ELDC in a bid to see if enforcement 
action could be taken against the relevant developers.

However, he said he had been advised the pavement was not included as part of any planning conditions and that he had been informed by planners that any problems 
were a ‘police issue’.

Meanwhile, Coun Aron has rejected an invitation from a another resident to accompany him on a ‘walking tour’ of the town to discuss the overall condition of roads and pavements.

The invitation came from Richard Barker who said he had been highlighting some issues for up to four years, without any action being taken. Coun Aron said he had passed on a number of Mr Barker’s complaints and was ‘sorry’ if he was not happy with the response.