Inverness beauty spot which has undergone £2.5m revamp marred by hazardous rusty railings, says Highland councillor

Rusty railings at an Inverness beauty spot which underwent a £2.5 million revamp are a hazard and an eyesore, according to a city councillor.

Riverside Way, alongside the River Ness, reopened at the beginning of December following work to make it more attractive as a walking, wheeling and cycling route.

But the old railings remain in place to the bafflement of Inverness South councillor Duncan Macpherson who says they are a health and safety hazard.

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“If a child or senior citizen was to cut their hand on a sharp rusty edge, they would require a visit to A&E for a tetanus injection,” he maintained.

“In the present condition it’s an eyesore for locals and visitors to that beautiful area of the River Ness in Inverness.”

“I’m disappointed that the original old railings remain.

“They’re long past their serviceable best and no longer fit for purpose.

“Many railings are rusted and broken, patched up and awaiting repairs. It’s not a good look for this multi million pound Active Travel project.”

He pointed out the Etape Loch Ness - Scotland’s largest closed road cycle sportive - will take place on April 27 and will start and finish nearby while the tourist season is also under way.

“We are about to welcome goodness knows how many coaches,” he said.

“If someone decides to walk up the River Ness to the islands rather than the other way they are going to be faced with this,” he said.

Cllr Macpherson also questioned the logic of not replacing the railings when the work was carried out.

“I don’t understand why a health and safety assessment and costing exercise didn’t take place to get the railings replaced and complete the refurbishment and improve this most popular walkway and cycle path in the Highland Capital,” he said.

When fears were raised about the railings by a member of the public in January, Highland Council told the Inverness Courier it was aware that the fence was deteriorating and in need of urgent attention.

At the time, It said work by a fabricator was is in hand and once the sections had been produced and the weather cleared, they would be replaced.

In response to the latest concerns raised by Cllr Macpherson, a council spokesperson said: “The riverside scheme was primarily about improving active travel and has been successful in that regard.

“The railings did not form part of the scheme.

“The council will continue to remain reactive to any maintenance issues with the railings.”

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