Village fears ‘fatal waiting to happen’ as council fail to grit busy bus route
Gathered to campaign for Stone Road, Mattishall, to be gritted, were Linda Warmer, Lucy Keeler, David Piper, Mike Nunn, Catherine Turner, Karen Nunn, Richard Turner, Rob Nunn and Trudi Nunn. Picture: ROB NUNN - Credit: Archant
A Mattishall father has hit out at the county council for refusing to grit a school bus route and said the village is 'waiting for a fatal accident to happen'.
Rob Nunn, 45, criticised the county council for 'neglecting' to grit Stone Road, between Dereham and Mattishall, which he said is used daily by Coachways and Konect buses.
The 60mph route, also known as the Mattishall Road, connects the area's surrounding villages with the town of Dereham.
And Mr Nunn, an IT consultant, said: 'It's our kids' bus route - twice daily connecting to schools.
'It is a massive danger to life if not dealt with.
Rob Nunn's car pictured on the Mattishall Road in the snow. He said: "This shows how bad it is ungritted." Photo: Rob Nunn - Credit: Archant
'The county council have been neglecting having it gritted.
'We feel we are waiting for a fatal accident to happen.'
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Mr Nunn, who described the situation as a 'disgrace', said it was the council's 'responsibility' to ensure the road was safe to use.
He said: 'As soon as you have got any ice it's a skating rink.
'It's affecting a lot of people, as it's a major link from all the villages to the Dereham schools.'
Mr Nunn, who has lived in the area for 12 years, added: 'I've pulled people out of fields when they've come off the road.
'My kids are at school in Mattishall and Dereham.
'My 17-year-old son drives back and forth on his moped, which is lethal.'
Pablo Dimoglou, Mattishall district councillor, said the county council had 'finite resources', and the road hadn't been gritted in the past as it wasn't previously a school bus route.
He said: 'Mr Nunn feels very strongly and [the road] should be properly gritted.
'It is forming a main thoroughfare now and people are using that road to avoid the Tesco roundabout.
'I don't know what it is about that road but it is very slippy.'
Mr Dimoglou added: 'I think Rob is absolutely right to bring this up. We are coming to the end of winter but hopefully something will be sorted by next year.
'The sun may be shining now, but we will continue to push this forwards.'
A Norfolk County Council (NCC) spokesperson said they had received a complaint regarding the gritting of the road.
They said: 'Under our current policy, this road is not one of our priority gritting routes.
'As we are investigating the complaint we can't comment further at this time.'
