Kelsall villagers concerned for their safety due to lack of gritting bin on their cul-de-sac

Jan 7 2010 by Ben Coulbeck, Chester Chronicle

Kelsall villagers concerned for their safety due to lack of gritting bin on their cul-de-sac

ANXIOUS villagers are calling for action after sub-zero temperatures turned their cul-de-sac into ‘an ice rink’.

Residents of Hillcrest Road, Kelsall, claim they have asked Cheshire West and Chester Council to install a salt bin so they can treat icy surfaces.

But still without the do-it-yourself facility, containing rock salt, they say conditions are extremely dangerous.

Worried mother Karolyn Spencer said: “The road is like an ice rink.

“All we want is for someone to come and have a look and to have a grit bin.

“When it has frozen, trying to get out of your own drive can be really dangerous.

“My husbands car once just slid away and hit the wall of a neighbour’s house. Had the neighbour not been on nights then my husband would have crashed straight into his car.

“Someone will really hurt themselves soon.”

“We have been asking for a bin since March. I had a message saying that someone had been out and confirmed that the road did need one but nothing happened after the changeover of councils.

“When I called again, I was told ‘your little road is not our priority, we have more important things to do’.”

CWaC spokeswoman Shirley Wingfield said that salt bins were situated in the village but also that criteria for eligibility was strict.

She said: “We give careful consideration to the location and provision of salt bins so as to ensure that the maximum benefit is likely to be obtained.

“As a rule, salt bins should only be provided in residential areas adjacent to shopping areas, part way up hills steeper than 1 in 10 gradient and in other areas, where both need and usage can be demonstrated, which are not included on salting routes”.