Hot TOPICS  

SATURDAY morning saw motorists playing Russian roulette with their lives as ice and compacted snow led to dangerous driving conditions which closed hilly roads in Warminster.

The poor situation was made worse by the complete failure of the highways department to salt these roads - presumably as they are running out of rock salt and must prioritise routes.

“I made the short journey from Newport to Epping Close and back at 8.45am on Saturday and was really shocked by the ice-rink state of Portway and Portway Lane,” said Steve Dancey.

“Most of those out and about were either dog-walkers or elderly people who would have been well-advised to stay indoors.

“The lack of salt is a disgrace and there needs to be an inquiry as this sort of weather is likely to be repeated in the next few years and we need to be prepared to double the amount of salt stored.”

While Wiltshire does not have poor winters as a rule it is very badly hit in a severe winter because, believe it or not, it has the highest average height above sea level of any English county.

Between 1978 and 1983 there were  several periods of severe weather and deep snow. Between 1941 and 1947 there was a similar pattern of several severe winters and again back in Edwardian times.

In the early 1980s army snow blowers were called in to clear roads past Heytesbury and in 1947 one snow drift was so deep between Warminster and Frome that a tunnel was dug through it.

“My aunt, who was living in Sutton Veny in 1947  and still lives in Warminster, told me that it was impossible to get into Warminster for a whole month,” added Steve.

“It means we must prepare for more periods of cold weather over the next five years just in case history repeats itself - and this means doubling the storage of rock salt.

“Unfortunately I’m not so sure that the county has the space to store it all because so many highways depots have been sold off during the past 20 years to gain a capital receipt for the council.