Residents left without grit bins
Reporter: Charlotte Hall, Local Democracy Reporter
Date published: 05 January 2026
A road in Glodwick pictured during snow. Image courtesy of Sonny Shah
People in an Oldham neighbourhood have had to take matters into their own hands after they were left with snow-lined streets and ‘zero grit’.
Residents in Glodwick say slippery highways turned into things into a ‘car ice skating championship’ amid the cold weather.
Oldham council cleared main routes to schools and into town with gritters.
But busy residential streets around Waterloo Street have reportedly been missing grit bins since 2023.
Naseeb Abbas, 36, a marketing consultant and wedding singer, said: “It’s been an absolute adventure out here – our cars are basically auditioning for an ice-skating championship.
“The past few days have been particularly frustrating, as we’ve been unable to use our cars or carry out our day-to-day responsibilities.
"I had hoped the council would take notice of the situation and ensure that local roads were properly gritted to allow residents to travel safely.”
A number of residents aired their grievances online, with some arguing that gritting ‘should be a bare minimum’ to keep residents safe.
Brothers Sonny, 41, and Shahjahan Chowdhury, 39, took matters into their own hands and bought bags of salt to spread outside local mosques, shops, and steep areas.
“While we’ve been out the last few days, we’ve seen cars bumping into each other, and elders struggling to cross the streets,” Sonny, a shopkeeper, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
“What if someone was crossing the road when a car lost control?
"We’ve been doing what we can – but it shouldn’t be just our responsibility to keep the community safe.”
The grit bins previously installed in the area were removed in 2023 as part of a borough-wide review.
Ward councillors at the time were given the option to sponsor a bin out of their ward allowances, but decided not to.
Coun Naveed Tariq Chowhan, who represents the neighbouring Waterhead ward, commented: “the provision of grit bins should be regarded as a basic council service.
"This should not be treated as an optional extra funded at ward level.”
Oldham’s cabinet member for transport and highways, Coun Chris Goodwin, said: “During winter, our teams work day and night to keep the main roads across the borough clear of ice and snow so people can travel safely.
"We are not able to grit every road, so we focus on the roads and places that are used by the most people and where the risk is highest.
“There are more than 600 grit bins across the borough, including several in Glodwick.
"Grit bins are installed based on criteria, such as the steepness of the road, to help make sure they are placed where they are needed most.
“In some wards, councillors have chosen to use their ward budgets to pay for extra grit bins in locations that do not meet this criteria.
"Any grit bin that does meet the criteria is fully funded by the council, not by individual councillors.”
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