John Mason, the SNP MP for Glasgow East, has had his Shettleston office inundated with calls and email from Glaswegians concerned by the apparent lack of gritting being carried out on the roads and pavements of their neighbourhoods.

The numbers of complaints on this issue increased dramatically in the aftermath of the wintry weather that hit the city on both Monday and Tuesday night.  One Springboig woman reported having to crawl along the pavement and into a taxi in order to keep a dental appointment.

Speaking this morning (Thursday), the East End Scottish National Party MP said: "I have received a significant number of telephone calls and email messages from concerned constituents over the last 72 hours, and the common theme has been the treacherous condition of the roads and pavements in their area. Most of the calls that my office has taken have been from Greenfield, Springboig, Barlanark, and Mount Vernon.

"I appreciate that there is a priority plan for the gritting of roads and pavements, and that bus routes, main roads, areas adjacent to fire stations, for example, are accorded special attention.

"I have asked the city council to investigate what extra measures they can take in terms of placing additional ‘grit bins’ in strategic locations or revising and extending the coverage of the priority plan.

"It would save our hospitals money if there was more grit out there and fewer broken bones. Falling on ice is a particular hazard for older people. As people live longer, we need to be ensuring these older people have a better quality of life."