A HIGHWAYS boss has promised a review of gritting operations after an avalanche of complaints about perilous pavements and untreated roads.

Treacherous ice lay untreated across footpaths around the region for days, after heavy trodden down snow was followed by sustained low temperatures.

But Nick Raymond, Cumbria County Council’s area engineer for South Lakeland, who is responsible for gritting in the area, said the authority had all available resources involved in winter maintenance – including eight men filling 480 grit bins, six gritting footpaths and 28 driving gritting lorries.

The Westmorland Gazette put some crucial questions to Mr Raymond regarding the authority’s gritting strategy. He answers them below.

Why were minor roads, and footpaths across South Lakeland, including in Kendal town centre, not cleared of ice even two-days after the snow falls?

NR: Cumbria County Council has a Winter Maintenance policy that concentrates the annual budget of £3.8million on the main arterial roads. These are referred to as Priority 1 (P1) and Priority 2 (P2) routes and account for approximately 25 per cent of the entire road network in Cumbria. These are gritted whenever ice is expected to form on the road surface and the time scales for completion are three and five hours respectively.

There are a number of other roads, known as Priority 3 (P3) routes, which receive attention only during a prolonged period of frost or snow. The decision to start gritting the P3 routes was made on Monday 1st December and the gritters were sent out during that day shift.

How many people did you have out gritting roads and footpaths in South Lakeland last week?

NR: All available resources were involved in winter maintenance activities last week, as they will be again this week.

Last week, eight men were filling grit bins/salt heaps, six men were gritting footways in various locations and 28 men were driving the gritter lorries (14 on day shift and 14 on night shift).

This week, 17 men will be filling grit bins/salt heaps and the remainder will be driving the gritter lorries.

Do you think there was adequate provision made for members of the public to grit or salt the footpaths and roads immediately outside their own homes?

NR: Despite the level of mechanised gritting that takes place, this still only accounts for approximately 25 per cent of the road network in South Lakeland. Cumbria County Council provides 480 grit boxes and over 1900 salt heaps at locations along the remaining network. Such locations would be steep hills, sharp bends or near schools etc. The County Council does not specifically provide salt for placement immediately outside homes.

More than 90 per cent of such provision was in place at the onset of the prolonged freeze and therefore I consider the provision appropriate and certainly adequate.

Many people have complained about the icy conditions and there is a suggestion that some elderly people feared to leave their homes because of the slippery conditions. Do you have a message for these people?

NR: The weather conditions last week were difficult to manage because of the two separate snowfalls (Monday and Thursday mornings) being interspersed with day time partial thaws, overnight frosts, rain and also some hail showers. By Friday minor roads and footways were in precarious conditions. Advice given out by the police and ourselves on local and national radio was that people should think very carefully about venturing outdoors during these conditions, especially if the journeys was not necessary. Whilst we would like to be able to treat greater lengths of the network we have to plan within the constraints of the budget.

Do you accept there is a need to improve gritting procedures in the future?

NR: Cumbria County Council reviews the Winter Maintenance service in advance of each new WM season. All comments received over the last few weeks will be included in the next review. However, any increased level of service for gritting will require a saving elsewhere and therefore any decision to increase it must bear that in mind.