HERTFORDSHIRE County Council has followed Barnet in cutting back the number of roads it is salting.

The council has cut back the number of roads it is gritting by a quarter in response to a request by the Department of Transport.

Supply of road salt, or grit in such short supply countrywide that the Government has stepped in and started administering the supply of grit to ensure it reaches the areas of greatest need.

Cabinet member for highways and transport, Stuart Pile, said the council had been gritting the roads almost continuously since December 15.

"The long-range forecast is for at least another fortnight of cold weather, making this the longest continuous cold spell for nearly 30 years. As a result, on Friday evening the Department for Transport asked local authorities across the UK to reduce their grit and salt consumption by 25 per cent.

"We were prepared for this eventuality and, in line with actions being taken by other highway authorities and instructions from central Government, we have decided that key A and B roads, plus roads that provide access to essential emergency services like hospitals and key fire stations, will now be our priority routes for salting runs."

The council instead is turning to alternate supplies such as sand to use on pavements and in salt bins so that proper grit can be reserved for the roads.

Cllr Pile added: "This is a challenging time for all road users and highway authorities and we are reacting to this changing situation and doing what we can to keep roads open. Should salt supplies increase, we will look to return to treating our normal network of priority roads.”