Council insurers 'unlikely' to sanction path gritting

Following the big freeze from before Christmas to mid-January the issue of footpaths not being gritted was a hot issue in north Antrim and beyond.

In January Moyle councillors asked for the issue to be researched and now Council officer Aidan McPeake has come back with information.

In a report prepared for councillors he said a response was received from the Council’s insurance company stating that ‘to remove ice from pavements, etc, is not part of the Council’s remit ie you have no statutory responsibility and therefore falls outwith the usual business activities.

‘This is not something to be encouraged and it is unlikely that Insurers would agreed to this proposal (given the significant increase in exposure) without at least being provided with specific details of the Council’s responsibilities, an indication of the scope of work, eg area, timescales, etc. and a copy of any proposed indemnity agreement’, said the report.