Laurence Goff Dec 30th, 12:46pm Motorists said snow on Boxing Day evening made driving conditions treacherous for several days and complained some main roads did not appear to have been gritted. A nurse said her journey to work from Newark to Sutton-in-Ashfield on Sunday was the worst she had experienced in 20 years. Joanne Yates, of Beacon Hill, Newark, deputy sister on the children’s ward at King’s Mill Hospital, said the conditions were poor, despite being in a four-wheel drive vehicle. She said her usual 45-minute journey took twice as long. Mr Ben Wilson, of Middleton Road, Newark, also made the journey to King’s Mill on Sunday to visit his six-month-old son. He said the roads were extremely icy. A Met Office severe weather alert was in place across the region for several days after the snow was followed by icy conditions and sub-zero temperatures. Nottinghamshire County Council said its gritting lorries were on the roads for 36 hours non-stop from Boxing Day evening and travelled the equivalent distance of Land’s End to John O’Groats. They were also extensively used on Sunday, Monday and yesterday. Mr Kevin Greaves, chairman of the transport and highways committee, said: “The council has faced a lot of unfair criticism over the last couple of days. “We did everything we could to deal with the heavy snowfall on Boxing Day night, which arrived much earlier than all the weather forecasts were predicting. “We were expecting rain first — during which you can’t grit as it would wash away — followed by snow, but the snow came almost immediately. “Our crews reported early for duty as soon as it became clear what the situation was and within 20 minutes were out on the roads “No amount of gritting, however, can prevent that amount of snow from settling on our roads. “Grit isn’t magic dust. It needs vehicle movement to help activate it and mix it with the snow. On Friday night there were few vehicles on the road. “In some places our gritting crews were the only people out and about. I would pay tribute to them for doing such sterling work.” In total, the council’s 23 gritting teams were out 11 times between Christmas Day and Monday, using more than 2,500 tonnes of rock salt. The council said it had 18,680 tonnes stored in its four grit barns and was in a strong position to deal with wintry conditions. There was no Newark market on Saturday because of the weather. A spokesman for Newark and Sherwood District Council said it had been planned to hold a small market but no traders arrived. Police warned motorists to make essential journeys only until conditions improved. The weather is forecast to turn milder later this week. newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Council-defends-gritting-teams-after-Boxing-D
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 15:30:41 +0000