Falkirk Council repairs policy has left ex-Argyll serviceman, 73, without a fence for almost a year

Serving in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in Ireland and elsewhere, Ian Wilson knows how important it is to have protection from outside elements – but the back garden of his Falkirk home has certainly been lacking that for the whole year.

And with the council still saying they have “no timescale” yet for the repair job, it could possibly be another year before it is carried out.

Granddaughter Rachel Wilson said: “They are fobbing him off saying things like it’s not a priority job like roofing or water leaks or saying their contractors are not available.

"We’ve told them he has a mobility scooter which sits out the back. They told us to just bring it in, but we can’t.”

Ian’s German shepherd, Bracken, is a nervous and very territorial dog and will not go out to the front garden to do his business. He would only go out the back door, but Ian is unable to let him out there now on his own because there is no fence.

Rachel said: “It’s causing my granddad great stress and causing him to get ill because he has to out with the dog in the cold weather multiple times a day, when he just was able to let him out the back."

This week Falkirk Council told The Falkirk Herald, while there was no actual set date yet for the repairs to be carried out, it was going to get in touch with Ian when a repair date became “available”.

A council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the fencing repairs required at the property, which have been assessed by housing staff. The fence does not pose any health or safety concerns and due to the volume of fencing repairs this forms part of our priority two list.

“While there is no immediate timescale for these repairs, we will liaise with the tenant when a repair date is available."