AA Issues warning about low gritting levels in run-up to coldest months
Motoring organization the AA has issued a warning about the scarcity of gritting salt in local council stockpiles this winter. According to its sources, the AA says it has been told that councils across the country have stockpiled 250,000 tonnes less gritting salt than a decade ago. If there are heavy snowfalls or lengthy icy spells this winter, it could mean some councils being forced to ‘borrow’ rock salt from neighbouring areas.
The local government authority has criticised the statement, saying that any suggestion councils did not have adequate supplies for the winter months was ‘ridiculous scaremongering’. However AA president Edmund King, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s today programme, said: “Around 1,000 people are killed or seriously injured on snowy and icy roads each winter and hospital casualty departments are often inundated with people who have slipped and fallen. We accept that not every road can be treated, but we must do a lot more to keep the wheels of the economy turning in winter emergencies and ‘routine’ winter weather. That means getting enough salt stocks in place now.”
In February this year, a cold snap caught several councils unprepared with inadequate supplies of grit. Admissions to hospitals rose markedly during the period, which was believed to have had a significant impact on the UK economy, as the bad weather prevented people getting to work. Suggestions that winter 09/10 could see a similar situation have been dismissed by a representative from the Local Government Association, Councillor David Sparks.
Councillor Sparks was critical of the AA’s announcement, saying; “Councils realise how important it is to keep roads clear. It is up to councils, not the AA, to decide whether it is a good use of their council taxpayers’ money to stockpile more salt or have other plans in place to make sure they can get enough grit to keep Britain moving.”
Accidents in icy weather
Icy conditions on the roads or on pavements can be treacherous even for the most careful drivers or pedestrians. Not only does ice pose a hazard through being very slippery (causing vehicles to lose control and slide and causing people to fall over or lose their balance), it can be very difficult to spot, as anyone who has had an accident on a patch of black ice will tell you. Proper gritting procedures on the road can help to reduce the risk of ice causing accidents, however gritting is not effective in all conditions, for example where heavy rain has washed away the gritting salt, or when temperatures too low for the salt to melt the ice.
If you have been injured in an accident in icy conditions and you believe the road you were driving along or the surface you were walking on should have been gritted but wasn’t, call Camps Solicitors to see if you can make a claim for ice-related injury compensation.
Call 0800 092 8586
Speak to one of our claims advisors about your claim.
