Authority says roads are less prone to ice because of their lower altitude

GEOGRAPHY PLAYS a part, Leeds City Council has said, arguing its roads are less prone to icing up than those at a higher elevation above sea level.

The authority, which routinely grits 43 per cent of its network on a priority basis, has maintained its budgets of £1.36m since 2015.

It has the same number of gritters as in 2010, clears the same number of routes and has steadily increased the number of grit bins it offers to residents. And its network is flatter and lower than neighbouring regions, the authority has stressed, with roads in higher areas experiencing temperatures 1-2 degrees colder.

“Our priority is to keep Leeds moving safely, and our gritters have a 3,000km-long network of road to cover, focusing on 1,280km of primary network,” a spokeswoman for the city council said.

“In Leeds we’ve kept our winter maintenance budget at the same level for the past decade. However, additional resources are available if more grit is needed due to extreme or extended cold spells.”

City councillor Coun Barry Anderson said: “Leeds is a challenging city in terms of its area and road network so within the resources the council allocates for gritting they do an effective job.

“Could more of a focus be put on pavements to assist local residents and particularly older people?”