Rubbing rock salt into the wound
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
05/02/2009
A decision to divert supplies of rock salt to the Highways Agency could lead to London’s side roads becoming impassable, a west London council has warned today.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council has revealed that, due to a nationwide shortage of grit following the snow earlier this week, Government officials have instructed the main suppliers of rock salt - which is used to grit roads - to only restock the Highways Agency.
Since Sunday H&F Council has used around 350 tonnes of grit, which is more than twice the amount used in a normal year.
Councils had been forced to order in extra salt from abroad to ensure roads were gritted as the cold snap continues. But these stocks will now be re-routed to the nation’s motorways.
The unprecedented move could leave many councils - particularly those in London and the south-east of England - with no reserves of grit if the heavy snow predicted for tomorrow (Friday, 6 February) arrives.
Councillor Greg Smith, Cabinet member for Crime & Street Scene, says: “Our rock salt supplies are being gradually used up and the decision to only restock the Highways Agency could leave London’s side road paralysed.
“Our gritters used hundreds of tonnes of salt earlier this week and we had more on order but we now understand that this has been commandeered by the Highways Agency.”
It was all hands to the pump in H&F earlier this week as council staff and contractors from Serco and Quadron worked tirelessly to keep the borough safe and moving and keep vital services up and running.
The council deployed two carriageway gritters on Sunday evening as weather conditions deteriorated. The two carriageway gritters plus four flat bed gritting trucks put more than 350 tonnes of rock salt on the borough’s roads.
Cllr Smith concludes: “There was a huge effort to keep H&F safe and moving earlier this week but we are now being asked to fight with one hand behind our back.
“If we get more heavy snowfall in the next few weeks the move by the Highways Agency could leave the council’s rock salt supplies dangerously low and potentially lead to side roads being blocked affecting vital services, like bin collections and schools.”
