Neilston resident hits out at council after workers tar over litter

Tracy Anne McVeigh expressed her concerns after making the discovery on Springfield Road, a connecting road between Barrhead and Neilston.

The 44-year-old was out on a walk with her dog when she spotted the litter stuck under the freshly surfaced road.

Tracy said: “It’s an ongoing issue on Springfield Road with the litter and there is fear it’s going to get worse once all the new takeaway outlets open in Barrhead.

Rubbish can be seen trapped under the fresh tar (Image: Tracy Anne McVeigh)

“I’m on the phone to the council quite often during the course of the year and they’ve always told me that it’s difficult for them to litter pick because of the nature of the road.

"They say they would need to close it for the health and safety of their workers, which is ironic because myself and my husband litter pick on it quite often.”

We previously reported that several new takeaway outlets are set to open in Barrhead in the near future including Popeye’s, Burger King, Starbucks, Baynes the Bakers, and McDonald's.

Tracy claims the litter in the area is an issue (Image: Tracy Anne McVeigh)

Tracy went on to say that when she first found out about the upcoming resurfacing works, she contacted the local authority to suggest it would be the ideal opportunity for them to collect the rubbish beforehand. 

“When I spoke to them, I was just told ‘oh, I’ll pass it on’.

“I didn’t think it would get done and it wasn’t done,” Tracy claimed.

Describing her shocking find, she said that she was able to see the litter that was tarred over as some of it was sticking out.

“Some parts of the litter, I could wiggle out from underneath the tar and other parts, that’s it, it’s in," she said.

Slamming the “shoddy” job, Tracy said issues from the works include that the rubbish is now unable to be picked up and she also claimed it’s not a good “subbase for tar".

She added: “My issue is, it’s paid for out of public funds by East Renfrewshire Council and the bottom line is, that’s our Council Tax, which has just gone up.

“If East Renfrewshire Council was run as a private company, they would be more careful with every penny that left that purse, whereas it’s not – it’s ours.

“That road will not last.”

The Neilston woman raised the issue with one of Barrhead's councillors (Image: Tracy Anne McVeigh)

While Tracy is frustrated with the litter being tarred over, she said that East Renfrewshire, especially Barrhead and Neilston, have got an issue with litter, describing it as a “bugbear” of hers as its “such a lovely place with walks.”

Raising her concerns, Tracy got in touch with Barrhead, Liboside and Uplawmoor Councillor Chris Lunday.

In a statement regarding the issue, Chris said: “I am disappointed to see that some of the new road surface has been tarred over litter and I hope that the council act fast to rectify the issue.

“The litter pickers put in a lot of effort and time voluntarily tidying up the area.

“I think it would have been better for the council to have cleared the area before the new surface was laid and I have been in touch regarding the matter and how we best prevent something like this from happening in the future.”

A spokesperson for East Renfrewshire Council said: “Our roads team carried out resurfacing works on Springfield Road.

“Prior to the works being carried out, a road sweeper brushed clear the entire road from debris.

“It was noted that there was a significant amount of litter on the verges along this road.

“Every effort was made to remove any debris from the edge of the intended surfacing area.”

They continued to say: “We will arrange for the site to be inspected and any litter found through the tarmac or in the verge edges will be removed.”