Roads alert as grit runs out
Gritting supplies are falling dangerously short in the West Midlands and Staffordshire, with some stocks so low that side roads are being ignored.
Some councils today admitted they have barely enough salt to get them through the weekend, when temperatures are set to plummet to -9 (15F).
With snow forecast for early next week there is a scramble to bring in new supplies.
Dudley Council today admitted it is running out of grit after deliveries of fresh supplies were diverted to other areas by the Highways Agency.
The borough is now not expected to receive a fresh delivery of grit salt until Monday, and is avoiding gritting side roads until then.
The council has just 400 tons left to serve the entire borough over the weekend, around half the supply needed.
To conserve the remaining supply, grit bins are now not being filled and the focus will be on keeping main roads clear and running.
Staffordshire Council is also avoiding side roads this weekend in order to conserve stocks, but is expecting to resume a normal service on Monday.
In Wolverhampton, the council said using table salt would "have to be an option" if it ran out of rock salt, but added it was confident supplies would last and is getting more deliveries on Wednesday.
Sleet and snow showers were today forecast for tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday. Councils are warning that schools could close if the weather worsens on Monday, although the Met Office today said it is not expecting any snow to stick in the West Midlands over the next two days.
Many weekend sports fixtures have been cancelled due to the weather.
Check out our seven-day online weather forecast here
By Tom Edwards
