More Snow May Be On The Way
Council warn they are running out of salt to grit roads
Hammersmith and Fulham Council say they are running “exceptionally low” on rock salt to grit roads and footpaths, amid Met Office predictions that more heavy snow is on the way.
“Orders placed earlier this week have so far failed to materialise and it is understood that the Highways Agency has been given priority for salt and grit supplies for trunk roads and motorways,” the Council say.
Following heavy snow at the beginning of the week, H&F say they put “more than 350 tonnes of salt onto the borough's roads”. However, many residents complained on the Forums that they had seen no gritters out on the streets and that the pavements were icy and dangerous to walk on.
The Leader of the Labour Group of Councillors, Cllr Stephen Cowan, suggested budget cuts were to blame: “Residents will recall that the street cleaning budget has been cut by £1million. This includes snow and ice removal and may prove to be a false saving if anyone injured on Hammersmith and Fulham's icy pavements decides to sue the Council for negligence,” he wrote on his blog.
By Thursday, bags of rubbish and recycling material were still standing in the streets waiting to be taken away after the launch of the Council's new combined collection service had to be postponed due to the snow.
One resident said the streets had remained icy for several days: "Considering the iciness of the road until this morning (Thursday), I can't see how the bin men could have safely removed the rubbish. It would be good if the Council could do more to keep the road ice-free as this is the real issue,” said Damian Rafferty.
The Council have said any streets due a collection on Monday or Tuesday would have to wait until next week to have their rubbish picked up. However, refuse collectors were seen collecting rubbish in some of those streets on Thursday afternoon. Orange recycling sacks, however, remained untouched.
The Chair of the Local Government Association's environment board said councils had been collecting residents’ bins as normal wherever possible: "In some areas, the snow and freezing temperatures earlier in the week meant that people’s safety could have been put at risk if dustcarts were driving around in dangerous, icy conditions. In some areas, collections of regular household waste will be prioritised over the collection of recycling,” said Cllr Paul Bettison.
Local councillor Greg Smith, Cabinet Member for Crime & Street Scene, said H&F staff had worked hard to try and clear the snow earlier in the week: "It was all hands to the pump this week as Council staff and our contractors worked tirelessly to do all we could to keep the borough safe and moving and keep vital services up and running. Our two carriageway gritters were deployed at around 8.30pm on Sunday evening as weather conditions deteriorated. They began to follow the pre-planned gritting regime of priority roads and we would like to thank residents for their patience in what as been a challenging time for Londoners. We also had four flat bed trucks for manual gritting of roads and paths.
"Many staff who are normally employed on refuse and recycling collections were redeployed on Monday and Tuesday to grit roads and clear snow. Rubbish and recycling collections returned to normal on Wednesday 4, February. Residents, who were due a collection on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday this week, should have their collection made, if the roads are passable. Residents who missed a collection on Monday or Tuesday will have their collection made up next week," he said.
The Council say that all schools are expected to open on Friday but are advising residents to check the H&F website for further updates.
5 February 2009
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