For the price of a shovel

Sir, – I note that the current hospital bed crisis is in part due to pressure from slip and falls that occurred during the recent storm.

One contributing factor must be our apparent inability to clear snow from public paths and around homes.

This is not due to laziness or lack of civic pride but rather equipment failure.

I cleared 20 metres of snow at 8am each morning with a €7 snow-shovel.

READ SOME MORE

I noticed other people using spades, garden hoes and even fireside shovels in futile attempts to keep paths clear.

What would be the cost saving to thousands of €7 shovels being left in town centres and on street corners during such weather events – allowing us all to play our part in keep this country moving and injuries down?

We could even allocate Tidy Towns points for additional motivation! – Yours, etc,

ADRIAN MULRYAN,

Dún Laoghaire,

Co Dublin.