A HIGHWORTH resident complained to the town council about poor street maintenance during the weekend's snowfall.

The resident argued that there hadn't been enough gritting to keep the High Street clear of ice and snow, and suggested that there was a low standard of maintenance throughout the entire town.

Councillors expressed astonishment to the letter when it was discussed at a meeting earlier this week and disagreed completely with the view of the letter-writer. They wished to commend the outdoor staff members on their efforts to keep the shopping area free of ice and snow. Staff had voluntarily come in all over the weekend to help out, even asking the council clerk’s permission to do so. The clerk will write to the complainant to let her know about this.

In addition, a letter from St Michael’s Church Parochial Church Council suggested that the council is responsible for the upkeep of its churchyard tree and for maintaining the churchyard to a good standard.

Again, councillors disagreed and wished to remind the writer that it's the PCC's duty to maintain the tree and to ensure that the churchyard and its walls, fences and gates are in a decent order.