ICY pavements across the district are an accident waiting to happen without better gritting.
That is the concern of MP for Warwick and Leamington, Matt Western, after witnessing firsthand the hazardous conditions on the streets and pavements during the recent cold snap.
He said he had also been approached by countless residents and businesses, worried that Warwickshire County Council’s gritters were giving their footpaths the cold shoulder.
As a result, Mr Western wrote to WCC’s leader Coun George Finch to air his concerns and to ask to what extent good quality gritting had been undertaken.
In the letter, the local MP emphasised that the pavements were particularly dangerous for those with reduced mobility and those with greater risk of falling.
He also stressed that the conditions could deter people from visiting local town centres.
Coun Finch responded to Mr Western’s letter sharing the standard response from WCC – when ice is predicted all main traffic routes, A roads, most B roads and one or two other strategic routes in urban areas are gritted, along with the accesses to hospitals and main industrial estates and single routes into all villages.
Coun Finch continued that the standard response does not include the gritting of footways and footpaths except when WCC was made aware of specific concerns, and reactive ‘spot grits’ are then carried out.
Grit bins, Coun Finch explained, are available for communities to put grit down themselves.
Mr Western told the Observer that despite Coun Finch’s response, he would continue to push for better pavement gritting.
He continued: “I saw firsthand how icy the local pavements were and the hazardous conditions they were creating, particularly for older residents and those with limited mobility.
“It seems the county council do not proactively grit pavements unless they are identified as specific concerns, something I fear may happen too late after someone has slipped and been hurt.
“There’s no doubt we will get another sub-zero cold snap this winter and I will push the county council to do more on gritting our pavements. I’d also encourage residents to feedback to the council, and copy me in, on which pavements are particularly bad and require gritting to help keep people safe.”
A WCC spokesperson confirmed its gritting procedure as outlined by Coun Finch.
