THE people complaining about Blackburn with Darwen not doing a good job gritting the roads don't know what they are talking about.

The weekend the weather was bad -- December 29 and 30 -- the gritters were out non-stop. I should know because I was one of them.

We have had a lot of flak from the public about the council not doing enough. Well, I have heard enough.

We did everything in our power to keep the roads clear, but the snow kept coming. The four drivers on call were called out to put the maximum amount of salt down on the roads, which we did.

But, unfortunately, as we were salting the roads, the snow was covering the salt. And because hardly any cars were on the roads, the salt wasn't bedding in.

We were kept away from our loved ones in the middle of the night while everyone else was tucked up in their nice warm beds, with us trying to do a service for the public that, it seems, no-one appreciates.

The roads couldn't have been that bad or the Rovers-Derby game wouldn't have got 20,000-odd people at Ewood Park. Another thing: was the kick-off time delayed because fans were not able to make it in time because of the roads? I don't think that happened, did it?

So Blackburn with Darwen's gritting service can't be as bad as people make out, can it?

S WALSMLEY, Blackburn with Darwen Council gritter.