DURING the 35 years that I have lived and worked in Blackburn I can never remember the roads and footpaths being in such an appalling state after only a moderate fall of snow.

I appreciate that the prevailing economic circumstances have reduced the amount of gritting and salting that the council has undertaken over the years to only the major routes, but on this occasion even the major routes were neglected.

The town centre was a disgrace, with ice covering most footpaths, making it a treacherous manoeuvre for elderly people in particular, many of whom have to shop in the centre as they do not have independent transport to out-of-town supermarkets.

Any foremost town, especially one with aspirations to become a city, will provide the service to ensure that residents and those who visit have a safe and comfortable environment in which to carry out their everyday jobs.

Shoppers and office workers, including council staff, were negotiating roads and footpaths like skating rinks and just what sort of impression does this give visitors to the town?

I was proud of the council that I served on for a quarter of a century and in other departments a lot of good work is still being done. However, whichever is responsible for winter maintenance should now hang its head in shame as it failed miserably on this occasion to provide what it was capable of providing in years gone by.

It seems to me that the new structure for local government has not in this instance helped to provide any improvement in service delivery and I wonder whether the officers of the council would have neglected the winter maintenance to this extent if they were accountable to a committee of councillors, rather than a single supremo.

MICHAEL MADIGAN, Notre Dame Gardens, Whalley Old Road, Blackburn.