Matt Western, MP for Warwick and Leamington, has raised concerns about a lack of gritting on local pavements during recent bouts of icy weather saying he 'witnessed firsthand the hazardous conditions on streets and local pavements'.  

The MP wrote to the Leader of Warwickshire County Council to stress his concerns, and ask to what extent good quality gritting had been undertaken. Having heard from countless residents and businesses he flet obliged to raise it with the councils.

Chiltern Railways staff were forced to spend hours gritting pavements in neighbouring streets as they hadn't been treated. 

In the letter, Matt Western also expressed his concern that the conditions on the pavements were particularly dangerous for those with reduce mobility and those with greater risk of falling. He also stressed that the conditions could deter people from visiting local town centres.  

Cllr Finch responded to Mr Western's letter sharing that the standard response from the County Council when ice is predicted is to grit:

• All main traffic routes, A roads, most B roads and one or two other strategic routes,  
• In urban areas, the accesses to hospitals and main industrial estates  
• Single route into all villages. 

The Leader said he was not aware of any issues preventing the grit being put down as required.  

He added that the standard response does not include gritting of footways and footpaths but when aware of specific concerns for footways, reactive 'spot grits' will be carried out.

Cllr Finch continued that grit bins are also available for communities to put grit down themselves. 

Seeking further clarification from Warwick District Council, the local MP asked whether the district council held any responsibility for gritting roads and pathways. In response, the District Council confirmed that they have no responsibility for roads and footpaths that are part of the local highway system. However, the gritting of land owned by the district council (such as car parks and parks) is done on a risk-based approach relating to the severity of the weather and the degree of public usage.  

Commenting on his concerns, Mr Western said:  "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." 

However, Warwickshire County Council is celebrating the dedication and professionalism of its gritting teams following their extensive efforts to keep the county moving in the recent cold snap of weather. 

Between 5 and 10 January, the Council's highways teams carried out 11 gritting runs, spreading around 3,000 tonnes of salt across Warwickshire's road network. Each gritting run covered approximately 1,100 miles, equating to a total of more than 12,100 miles treated over the six-day period. 

Storm Goretti brought particularly challenging conditions, prompting the fitting of snow ploughs to gritters for the first time since the "Beast from the East" in February 2018.

WCC expressed that during the height of the storm, teams carried out four gritting runs within a 24-hour period at 1:00pm, 5:30pm, 9:00pm and 1:00am, using approximately 1,000 tonnes of salt to keep key routes open and safe. 

The overall highways response to the storm involved a significant mobilisation of staff and resources. Over the week, the operation included 58 gritter drivers, 10 supervisors, 20 plough mates, two County Fleet Maintenance vehicle technicians, and a duty manager, contributing to around 2,200 person-hours of work. Additional day crews were deployed on Friday to maintain resilience as severe conditions continued. 

Cllr Jennifer Warren, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, said: "Storm Goretti tested our winter service teams in some of the most challenging conditions we've seen in years. The commitment shown by our gritter drivers, supervisors, fleet technicians and support staff was exceptional, with crews working around the clock to keep Warwickshire's roads as safe and accessible as possible. 

"Fitting ploughs for the first time since 2018 underlines just how severe this weather event was, and I would like to personally thank everyone involved for their professionalism, teamwork and dedication in protecting our communities."