COUNCIL bosses have been told to get their act together over gritting the roads in a bid to prevent the borough grinding to a halt in cold weather chaos.

A council watchdog has called for all roads where it is practically possible to be treated -- even though they admit it would cost a lot more than the £333,000 a year currently spent.

The message to members of Blackburn with Darwen's executive board came after the council admitted only gritting 'priority routes' during the freeze which hit the town over the festive period.

The report by was commissioned before Christmas after council leaders expressed concern about problems experienced in previous years, and found that the council gave winter gritting a low priority.

A House of Lords ruling in 2000 meant authorities no longer have a legal duty to grit roads.

Most just grit and salt main roads, like Blackburn with Darwen does at the moment.

The unitary authority would be one of the first in the country to do more, if the executive board accepts the plans.

Gritting provides friction for cars to pass on slippy roads, while salt should clear snow.

Currently, a selection of priority routes are guaranteed to be gritted -- including main roads, streets around the hospital, routes the emergency services use and main bus routes -- with any extra a bonus.

On the first day of the bad weather, December 29, gritters only went into operation after snow had started falling -- and got stuck in football traffic leaving Blackburn.

Coun Ashley Whalley, in charge of the gritters, said they did all they could to keep roads open -- but said gritting didn't always work.

In Blackburn, people were forced to lay carpets to ensure cars could get up iced-over roads. A vicar blasted the council after his congregation could not get to church.

Labour councillor Akhtar Hussain was forced to buy his own grit to enable people in Shear Brow to get to mosque and Darwen Coach Services gritted the road outside its depot to enable buses to get out.

Labour councillor John Milburn, who chaired the watchdog committee which prepared the report, said: "We want it to be turned on its head so that only the roads which cannot be gritted because of practical reasons are left off gritting routes.

"We want to see a strategic and operational plan stating future policy, practice and action for the safe maintenance of all roads in the borough."

The report has been presented to the council's policy and review committee, which oversees the watchdog-style committees. They have forwarded it to the executive board for further consideration.

It said the council gave gritting low priority because staff had become used to "mild winters, excess of salt and ineffectiveness of preventative strategies."

Lib Dem leader Paul Browne said: "I am pleased that this has been said because something needs doing.

"I have had nothing but complaints about the ways the roads were treated. All roads should be done because otherwise accidents happen.

"This council is forever telling us how good they are, but rarely talk about the problems.

"It shows these scrutiny committees work."

Coun Milburn said: "We were not convinced by that and we wish to see winter gritting given a much higher priority and profile.

"We appreciated money may be a factor but so is safety. We are here just to look at what should be done. The finances have to be looked at by the executive board."

Coun Dave Hollings, chairman of the policy and review committee, said: "We have passed the recommendations on to the executive board and it is up to them to decide what action to take.

"They must respond and then it will be discussed at full council. It doesn't take into account the most recent bad weather because it was written before then."

Coun Colin Rigby, leader of the Conservative group, said: "I appreciate there have to be priority routes but that doesn't mean just the priority routes should be done.

"In rural areas, the car is the only form of transport and some of the villages were blocked off. We need to consider when the gritters were called out and get people to use common sense."

Coun Whalley was not available for comment. He will present a report to the executive board when it meets in February in response to the watchdog.