Councillors will step up their efforts to stop water pouring on to the High Street from an eyesore Dumbarton shop.
Water has been running from the former cobblers since early last winter, with one resident contacting the Lennox to outline her concerns – especially during periods of cold weather.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said: “Water has been running out the door of the building 24/7 for more than five months now.
“There seems to be total inaction, and it’s a hazard.
“Last week it was like a sheet of ice before the council had a chance to go out and put some grit on it, which they did
later on.
“It runs constantly. People have complained about it and nothing seems to be happening.
“It’s a piece of nonsense. Is it going to take someone to fall and break their leg before there’s action?”
West Dunbartonshire Council confirmed they were aware of the issues, but that the building was privately owned.
However, Dumbarton councillors David McBride and Karen Conaghan have both pledged to take action to try and fix the eyesore, which was labelled “disgraceful” by Councillor McBride.
The Labour member said: “I raised the issue many months ago, and all I got back was that it was proving a struggle to contact the owner.
“I think all the councillors in this ward have raised the issues.
“It’s disgraceful. I think we’re going to have to take some action.
“When I contacted the roads department they were concerned because of the impact it was having on the pavement.
“I also contacted the regeneration department because it’s a town centre location.
“Taking action now and working out who is responsible afterwards might be the correct course of action.
“That’s something I intend to raise.”
Councillor Conaghan, of the SNP, is also concerned about the issue.
She said that she hoped cash to regenerate Dumbarton’s town centre could be used to sort issues with privately owned properties.
Councillor Conaghan commented: “I’m advised that both WDC roads and building control have been chasing the private property owner in an attempt to get them to rectify the issue. I’ve asked that we investigate how we might force entry to shut off the water as it appears the owner isn’t taking on board their responsibilities.
“Many properties in Dumbarton High Street are in private ownership and
this creates real issues for us.
“It is hoped that regeneration funding recently secured will allow us to tackle some of
these issues.”
