Councils did 'all they could' to deal with wintry weather

10:53am Thursday 24th December 2009

By Jon Reeve

That was the message from under-fire highways bosses in response to criticism over how parts of the south were brought to a near-standstill due to treacherous icy roads.

Southampton was one of the worst affected areas after a combination of rain and sub-zero temperatures left pavements and roads covered in black ice.

Residents across the region were unable to leave their homes as cars skidded off driveways while commuters were left in queues of traffic as the carriageways were littered with vehicles that had spun out of control.

Those caught up in the chaos criticised highways bosses at Southampton City and Hampshire County Council for failing to grit the roads in advance of the expected cold snap.

But road chiefs have hit back saying there was little that could be done due to the combination of weather conditions.

According to both authorities all networks were gritted but the salt was washed away due to the downpour in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Due to the subzero temperatures the rain water froze on the surfaces creating ‘ice-skating rink-like’ conditions.

Public realm manager for Southampton John Harvey said: “The networks were gritted throughout the night but unfortunately the downpour washed the salt away.

“We were immediately back out re-gritting the roads as the rain had dried with such speed that you could actually see the tide marks on the roads.”

He said some 100 staff were working on the gritting operation throughout yesterday with staff from the parks and open spaces department distributing grit on streets and pavements.

Within four hours yesterday morning the authority had spread 80 tonnes of grit – more than twice the normal amount used in a whole day.

He said staff had not seen weather like it for at least 15 years. “I wouldn’t say it was unprecedented but it is unusual.

There was nothing more we could have done though to prevent those conditions from happening. Our drivers have been out around the clock.”

A number of roads were closed around the city with communities on higher ground like Townhill Park suffering the worst effects. The estate was practically shut off as the hilly roads in and around the area were too dangerous to use.

Meggasson Avenue was closed by police along with a number of smaller roads in the vicinity.

Woodmill Lane also saw a number of accidents including buses and a gritter lorry involved in minor crashes.

Public transport was also brought to a standstill with both bus and train services suspended for several hours.

Meanwhile, in Hampshire more than £700,000 has been spent gritting roads since Thursday when the recent bad weather started.

Councillor Mel Kendal, Executive Member for Environment said: “Since the cold snap started last Thursday we have had more than 100 drivers out, around the clock, salting the priority roads that carry over 85 per cent of the traffic.

“Over 6,500 tonnes of salt has been used so far and the cost of our efforts is close to three-quarters of a million pounds to date.

“We are doing all we can to ease the situation during the extreme weather and will continue to work with our partners to minimise the impact of the freeze and any further snow.

“All road users are advised to anticipate delays and congestion on the main road network and to take extra care if they do have to travel.”