Villagers can show true grit

True gritters . . . Councillor Alan Roughley (right) with Jason Reece at the Mossley company

Self-help way to beat the freeze

WITH another cold snap forecasted to sweep across the UK tonight, a councillor has come up with a novel snow-busting idea.

Alan Roughley, who lives in Denshaw, has suggested a self-help scheme using mini-gritters that could clear pavements and narrow side roads of ice and snow across the whole area.

He envisages they would be owned by Oldham Council and loaned to groups who agreed to use them on a cluster of streets in a village or on an estate.

He has had talks with a Mossley-based company who supply the small, hand-propelled gritters which could be used by residents on roads and pavements missed in sweeps by council gritters.

The mini-gritters, costing £200 each, hold 65lbs of road grit and spread to about three metres wide for up to 100 metres.

Saddleworth and Lees Area Committee is inviting residents and community groups to register their interest in the project.

Mr Roughley said: “Thirty years ago the highways department had a work force and could quickly deploy men to clear pavements and side roads, and keep the main roads open.

“This winter has seen a prolonged cold spell, not much different to the winters in the 1960s and 70s.

“But even in ‘soft’ winters there are quite a number of nights when hilly roads get iced over and it is difficult to walk on un-gritted pavements or drive on side roads.”

He added: “The mini-gritters spread much more evenly and are considerably less work than throwing grit down with a shovel.

“I suggested to the area committee that village community associations might be interested in providing the man and woman power for such a self-help project.”

He said that area committee funding is available for local projects and, given sufficient local interest, could afford to buy up to 20 mini-gritters.

His scheme would see the council’s highways department supplying grit boxes at appropriate places, and at the end of the winter the gritters would be stored by the department and then redistributed towards the end of October.

“I would urge any interested groups to approach their local councillors,” he added.

Jason Reece, of the company importing the gritters said: “They have become very popular — we have almost sold out of our current supply.”