Sefton Council defends its gritting efforts as sub-zero temperatures hit
Questions have been asked about the authority's preparation for cold conditions
Hello and welcome to the midweek edition of The Southport Lead.
If it hadn’t been apparent enough already, winter is here. Commutes and school runs in early January are rarely enjoyable but this week’s freezing temperatures has also brought the dangerous element of icy roads and pavements.
With crashes and slips, Tuesday’s conditions led to questions over Sefton Council’s preparations for the cold weather - we have answers to those in today’s newsletter.
The Southport Lead marks its one-year anniversary in January so to celebrate we’re offering 30% off monthly and annual subscriptions for the entire month. That means you can get an annual subscription for just £34.30 or pay £3.49 a month, a little more than the cost of two hours’ parking in Southport town centre. Use this link to take advantage of the offer.
Southport briefing
💔 The family of a dad-of-four who died when he was hit by a car on Christmas Eve have paid tribute to him. Simon Coombes, 55, was pronounced dead at the scene after being hit by a Mini Cooper at around 5.30am. The driver stopped at the scene and has been assisting with police inquiries. In a tribute issued through Merseyside Police, Simon’s family said: “Our brother Simon kept himself to himself and never wanted to bother people with his problems. He was dad to four children and used to go walking every day, catching the early morning sunshine around the Marine Lake and collecting any treasures he could find. He was an avid Manchester City supporter and always polite and friendly to people around him. He’d lived all over starting with Manchester where he was born, Bury, Plymouth and Southport where he sadly passed away. Our thoughts are with you, our big brother Simon.” Anyone with information is asked to DM @MerPolCC, contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 0151 777 5747, or email SCIU@merseyside.police.uk quoting reference number 25001047328.
🚒 Three dogs died when a house fire broke out on Monday. Fire crews arrived at the Haig Ave property within six minutes of receiving the call when the accidental blaze broke out. A Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “Crews arrived to find a house fire and rapidly gained entry. Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the house and rapidly extinguished the fire and began dampening down and searching the property. Sadly three dogs in the property had lost their lives in the fire despite the efforts of firefighters to provide oxygen with specialist equipment.”
🚓 A Merseyside police officer who visited sex workers dozens of times has been banned from policing for life. The officer cannot be named due to an anonymity ruling by Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss and had quit the force before a misconduct panel convened. He did not attend the hearing, where it was heard he contacted sex workers on more than 80 occasions including 30 times while on duty, between December 2020 and August 2022. He also regularly accessed websites where the sex workers advertised their services and made cash withdrawals before visiting them. At least one of the women whose services he used said she was involved in sex work in order to fund her drug addiction. The officer was also found to have assaulted his partner during an argument leaving her with a bruised arm and to have lied about responding to an emergency when he was caught speeding. He resigned in 2023 and has now been added to the College of Policing barred list.
Ice issues and school run slips raise gritting questions
By Jamie Lopez
Sefton Council said it cannot afford to grit the roads and pavements near schools as it defended its work preparing for sub-zero temperatures this week.
Households across Southport have been waking up to freezing conditions and on Tuesday in particular icy roads and pavements proved dangerous. Multiple cars were involved in a crash on the roundabout where Town Lane meets Blowick Moss Lane and several people have reported falling over on icy pavements. According to Merseyside Police, no injuries were reported as a result of this crash.
Among those were Cllr Mike Sammon who says he fell while walking his son to school in Marshside. He has previously called for the roads and pavements outside schools to be added to gritting routes but those requests have so far gone unmet.
