100 tonnes of 'emergency salt' for Halifax as 70% of roads go ungritted

The Highways Agency supplied the council with the salt as the area has yet to receive a delivery that was due on Tuesday.

A statement issued by the council said gritters in the Halifax area are concentrating on clearing classified Roads - A, B and C roads - and some high level routes that cover about 25% of the road network, instead of the usual 67% coverage.

The statement added: "The council has taken this action to preserve existing stocks of road salt in response to the current national shortage which has arisen due to demand outstripping supply during the sustained period of snow and sub zero temperatures."

The council said it had already used more salt in the last three weeks than it used for the whole of winter 2008/09 and added that an order to replenish stocks was placed before the Christmas break, before a critical level was reached, but that order had not yet arrived.

A council spokeswoman also said it was difficult to predict how long current supplies might last as it would depend on which roads are treated and the severity of the weather.