Depot closure would put lives at risk claim

Lives could be at risk if a council roads depot in a Borders village is closed, a councillor fears.
Davie Paterson at the under-threat roads depot in Newcastleton.Davie Paterson at the under-threat roads depot in Newcastleton.
Davie Paterson at the under-threat roads depot in Newcastleton.

Davie Paterson, whose Hawick and Hermitage ward covers Newcastleton, has heard “strong whispers” that the village’s depot is earmarked for closure.

He believes that would deliver a hammer blow to villagers, particularly as the depot houses grit vehicles used for road safety maintenance in winter months.

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Moving them to an alternative location several miles away would delay treating roads in and around the village and consequently put lives at risk, he claims, adding “They have no idea what hardship this will cause my constituents.

“Children may not get to school and folk might not get to work, causing real hardship and mayhem. I can see lives being lost if this is implemented, I really can.

“Newcastleton is really remote and the weather can change as quick as the blink of the eye. I have constituents that live in Newcastleton that travel to various locations in the Borders for work and to Carlisle.

“The further the vehicles have to travel the more chance you have of something going wrong. I would hate my constituents to be losing out because of this council’s needs to save money.”

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A council spokesperson said: “Any decisions on the depot estate programme will continue to communicated in the normal manner with an expectation that there will be papers to council around September this year covering property and education estates.”                            

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