Perth and Kinross Council responds to gritting criticism

Jan 5 2010 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

AS the nation returns to work today after the festive break, motorists and pedestrians face a slippery slide to work, school and the shops.

And while many Perth and Kinross Council workers have not enjoyed a leisurely festive season as they tackle weather-related problems, a heap of criticism has been hurled at the local authority over its reaction to the snow and ice which has made even simple tasks like going to the corner shop so hazardous during what many people have been calling a spell of “real winter”.

Rumours have abounded about shortages of grit for the council to treat roads and pavements, allegations have been made about Perth and Kinross grit being sold to English local authorities, householders have complained about uncollected rubbish bins, and there is criticism that the public have had no way of contacting the council because its emergency phone number “simply rings out and disconnects”.

A council spokesperson yesterday stressed that grit supplies were not an issue: “Perth and Kinross Council would like to assure residents that it has sufficient supplies of grit.

“Gritting has continued throughout the winter period and careful forward planning has ensured there has never been an issue with grit supplies in the area. A grit shipment arrived in Perth on Sunday as planned, and a further shipment is expected next week.”

In response to the question ‘Why has there not been a greater coverage of roads and pavements being cleared/gritted over the 10 days-plus since the first snowfall’ she responded: “All priority roads were treated today as usual, and some non priority routes were also treated. Priority footways were also checked and gritted where required. This work will continue during the adverse weather.

“The council's main priority has been to grit 910km of priority roads to ensure they are passable, and this work has continued consistently around the clock due to Council officers working extended shifts, seven days of the week.

“The council's fleet of gritters is running at full capacity. The council has always had a sufficient fleet to ensure all priority routes are gritted and passable. The fleet has also been able to treat some non priority routes when weather has permitted.

“The council would like to remind motorists and pedestrians that salt has reduced effectiveness at lower temperatures and is virtually ineffective at –10C degrees particularly if there is snow. The salt also takes time to work its way through ice, so motorists and pedestrians should continue to take care, even after the streets have been salted.”

Additional manpower was available from yesterday in the council’s call centre to help manage calls from residents, the spokesperson said.

She acknowledged that bin collection rounds had been delayed in some areas because of the weather and associated traffic problems, and added: “Residents who have not had their bins collected are asked to leave them out for collection. The Council will endeavour to catch up on the rounds over the next few days, weather permitting.”

And there was a strong denial that the council sold grit to England last month, before the big freeze set in here. “Perth and Kinross Council did not sell grit to England at the end of last year. The Council has never experienced any issues with the supply of grit, and has not had to source grit elsewhere.”

The Met Office has warned of a “moderate risk of severe weather” affecting Perth and Kinross as well as other parts of Scotland and the north and east of England for today, when up to 20cm of snow is possible, tomorrow and Thursday. Temperatures this week are unlikely to rise much about 0C and the mercury will plunge overnight throughout this week to around –10C in many parts of Perth and Kinross.

“Perth and Kinross Council is well prepared to deal with the adverse weather conditions which have been forecast,” continued the spokesperson.

“The Council has sufficient supplies of grit, and will continue to grit all priority routes. After completion of priority roads, non priority routes are given priority.”

She added: “The adverse weather conditions experienced during the past two weeks have been more severe than previous years, and the sustained freezing temperatures have not allowed the usual thaw periods.”