Half of UK authorities ‘don’t have enough grit’
Posted by Richard Sinclair.
If the UK experienced a week of continuous freezing weather, half of UK local authorities would not have enough salt to treat their roads, the AA has reported.
A decade ago local authorities possessed a quarter of a million tonnes more salt than the amount they have access to today, potentially making following car lights on the road during freezing conditions even more dangerous.
Edmund King, president at the AA, 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.
"Investing in ice and snow clearance, to save elsewhere down the line, makes total sense."
He said that increasing salt stocks now would help to prevent a repeat of the chaos that occurred last February when heavy snowfall caused the closure of many roads across the UK.
The Met Office is predicting a much colder spell of weather this week and said there is an increased chance of sleet or snow, which causes reduced visibility, so it is important that all motorists check that their car bulbs are all functioning correctly.
