Dog walker becomes big freeze's 29th victim

Fifty lorries carrying de-icing salt left the depot in Runcorn heading for areas including Bradford, Sheffield and East Yorkshire.

Another convoy will carry further stocks today as part of national crisis measures amid no sign of a let-up in the icy weather until next week at the earliest.

A dog walker yesterday became the 29th victim of the big freeze when he died after falling through ice on the River Tees in Middlesbrough as he tried to rescue his dogs.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis yesterday defended rationing of grit supplies, saying it would help keep the major road network open.

Emergency measures have been put in place to cut by a quarter the amounts of grit used by councils, while the Highways Agency will not grit motorway hard shoulders. Lord Adonis said: "The forecasts are for nine consecutive nights of sub-zero temperatures coming up. That being the case, we would have been acting irresponsibly and local councils would have been acting irresponsibly if they did not plan properly."

The national situation will be reassessed tomorrow when the Government's "Salt Cell" meets to direct the distribution of new supplies. The situation has led to Tories accusing the Government of "utter failure".