Councils may face salt supply rules

25 February 2010

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has said local councils could be asked to store a particular quantity of salt in the future to avoid travel disruptions during cold conditions.

He said the UK would have been "much better prepared" to deal with travel chaos caused by recent wintry conditions if local authorities had a six-day supply of salt.

A committee set up to review how the UK coped during the cold snap would suggest ways to tackle bad weather in the future, Lord Adonis told the House of Commons Transport Committee.

He said that he would likely back any suggestions made to him regarding enforceable minimum national salt supply standards.

Lord Adonis stated that all England's motorways and major A roads were open during the recent cold snap, with the Pennines area being an exception.

He added: "Local authorities (who are responsible for minor roads) did a reasonable job in their localities, but I am sure they could have done better."

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