We were out & about along Catty Rd around 8.45am this morning & the road surface didn`t appear to have any grit on it, conditions were very slippery... not sure they Gritters had been along there, we did follow a gritter along Stockton Rd but the grit didn`t appear to be providing a very good covering... it looked more like confetti.
We then had a ride to Sedgefield around 10.45am......... and from the Wolviston Services roundabout to the main turn into Wynyard the road was like glass..... 2 accidents one on either carriageway, a car in the hedge going West & a car on its side on the eastbound side of the road.
Does the lack of Grtitting indicate local councils are scrimping to save money ???
Recent news items saw local councils (including Hartlepool) reassuring people that they had plenty of grit/salt, so they must be saving it for a special occasion! Apparently the Stockton/Billingham area was much the same this morning.
Is the A689 maintained by the Highways Agency rather than local councils? If so, that's another gap in service.
Maybe there's a sound, scientific reason why councils don't pick up on cold weather; could it be that there's so much hot air produced in the average council chamber that they're in some kind of micro ecosystem? ;)