CUTS in Lancashire's budget for gritting roads in winter will lead to false economies, according to a senior council officer.

Any roads allowed to become covered with packed ice and snow would be more expensive to clear than if they had been salted beforehand, a report by Pendle Council's environmental services manager Richard Whittle said.

"Prevention is always better than cure," said Mr Whittle in his report to councillors on cuts to the county's winter maintenance programme, which have already got Pendle Liberals hot under the collar. The county's Labour administration has decided to cut this year's winter programme by £180,000, a six per cent reduction in budget.

At the moment, Pendle's precautionary salting programme covers the area's main roads plus 51 per cent of the remaining road network in the borough. The county's cut would reduce this to 30 per cent.

It means almost 175 stretches of side roads and country lanes of various lengths across Pendle will not be covered by precautionary gritting on the coming winter, although main roads and steep hills will continue to be salted. Mr Whittle said: "The precautionary salting routes currently covered by Pendle Council have been established for a number of years, based on local experience and knowledge.

"The proposed reductions in the length of highway for precautionary salting will lead to false economies, because once those highways are then subject to ice or snow it is a much more costly exercise to deal with after the event." Pendle Liberals have criticised the county council for cutting the gritting budget.

Ian Parker, head of Burnley Council's engineering services, said the cuts would have a negligible effect in Burnley.

"I anticipate the effect will be fairly small," he said. "I don't envisage it will have a big impact. I don't think the effect will be as drastic as it might seem. Perhaps it will be the spur to make more efficiencies."

Local councils grit roads for the county under an agency agreement.

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