Bedford and Kempston MP Mohammad Yasin has written to the Mayor of Bedford Borough raising “serious concerns” about the level and consistency of road and pavement gritting during the recent cold snap, and a yellow warning of ice and snow in the area.
In a letter shared on his Facebook page, the Labour MP said he had been contacted by “a significant number” of residents worried about untreated roads and footpaths, making it difficult for people to get to work, reach essential services and move around their neighbourhoods safely.
He said councillors had also reported “a retrenchment of provision”, with locations that had “previously and routinely” been treated now being “missed altogether”, which he said was creating “understandable frustration and anxiety”.
Mr Yasin wrote that this was particularly worrying for older residents, disabled people and families with young children, “for whom icy and untreated surfaces present a significant risk”.
He added that the concerns were not a reflection on frontline winter maintenance staff, praising their work “under difficult conditions, at unsociable hours, and with limited resources”, but instead raised “questions about resourcing, prioritisation, and overall strategy”.
In the letter, he asked the Mayor to:
- Set out the current gritting strategy and how routes are prioritised
- Confirm whether there have been recent changes to coverage
- Explain what additional measures are being considered in light of residents’ concerns
- Outline what steps are being taken “to ensure that this situation does not happen again”
Gritters on duty “throughout the festive period”
At the time of writing, Mayor Tom Wotton (Conservative) has not yet publicly responded to the letter. However, Bedford Borough Council did issue a media release shortly after the letter was shared on social media.
In it, they say gritting crews had been on duty “throughout the festive period, working night and day” to treat roads for ice and snow.
With cold weather forecast to continue, officers will “continue this work until road surface temperatures increase, and the threat of snow and ice has receded”, the Council said.
The statement also explained how rock salt works and why roads can still appear icy even after treatment.
According to the Council, de-icing salt needs:
- Time to work, especially on thick ice or in very low temperatures
- Traffic to crush and spread the salt and salty water across the surface
- A small amount of moisture so the salt can dissolve and form a brine
- Road surface temperatures that are not too low, as salt becomes less effective in extreme cold
- Correct application, with pre-treatment before ice forms, is often most effective
The Council added that using too much salt can be as ineffective as using too little and can also cause environmental damage.
Drivers advised to take care
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning, the lowest level, for ice and snow across many parts of the UK, including Bedford Borough.
While a yellow warning of Ice for Wednesday has been issued, Storm Goretti has also prompted a yellow warning of rain, snow and strong winds from Thursday evening until midday on Friday.
The Met Office says that while the storm’s impact is rated ‘medium’, its likelihood of impact is ‘low’.
Cllr Nicky Gribble (Independent, Renhold and Ravensden), portfolio holder for environment, said: “While most of us have been spending time with families and enjoying Christmas and New Year, our gritting teams have been hard at work ensuring we can get from A to B safely.
“They will continue to do that work until the weather improves enough for them to stand down.
“There will be times when the rock salt used to de-ice the roads will be less effective due to the extremely low road surface temperatures, and drivers are advised to take care, especially in the early morning hours.”
