Gaping vent 'lying open for weeks' on Glasgow shopping street 'could have broken an ankle'

Riled locals had been calling on the local authority to cover up the Sauchiehall Street sink after it was "lying open for weeks".

The vent - which was covered after the Glasgow Times stepped in - had been reported to Glasgow City Council last month.

Garnethill Neighbourhood Watch have since said that it was "ridiculous” that the vent had “just been left to lie open without any concern for members of the public”.

William Beckett, who is the chairman of the group, said: “We reported this on September 13 and then followed it up seven days after that.

“It is absolutely ridiculous that community groups are having to chase officials to get issues resolved, this is not prompt enough from the council.

“The drain is right in the middle of Sauchiehall Street. It wouldn’t have taken much for a child, an elderly person or somebody who is partially sighted to trip or fall on it and break their ankle.

“It was just lying open for weeks without any concern for members of the public.”

Glasgow City Council said that the vent had been missing its cover which is now replaced.

William Beckett

A spokesperson said: “This is actually a vent, not a drain. The piece of metalwork that’s missing is known as a breather cover, most likely for water infrastructure."

In August, we reported on the groups’ concerns about flooding in the area caused by blocked drains.

After matters were raised, Glasgow City Council inspected its records to find that all sinks in the area had been cleared before downpour arrived.

But after carrying out community patrols, Garnethill Neighbourhood Watch insists that around 30 to 45 drains remain “completely chockablocked.”

Mr Beckett added: “The drains in the city centre are terrible. Blockage remains a big problem in the area and causes flooding whenever there is heavy rain.

“After doing a patrol and raising the issue on multiple occasions with the council, we noticed that around 30 to 45 drains remain completely chockablocked.

“People shouldn’t need to be constantly reporting these issues to the council, especially when they are a hazard to pedestrians.

“This is on one of the city’s busiest streets, it’s not as though it is on a sidestreet.”

The local authority has a rotating programme of gully clearing that covers the whole city. It focuses on spots known to fill up with water quickly during torrential rain.

It means that drains along routes renowned for flooding are attended to three times a year with sinks on arterial routes and the city centre cleared once a year.

According to the work schedule, drains in all parts of the city centre were attended to in June this year.

The Glasgow City Council spokesperson added: “The city centre is included in our rolling programme of gully maintenance and drains throughout the city centre were all cleared in June this year.

“If gullies are found to be blocked then these should be reported and they will be attended to."