Sid Valley roads get snow warden
Volunteers to grit four miles of roads in Sid Valley in snowy weather
SIDMOUTH and Sidford’s Devon County Councillor is among 190 volunteers to have trained as snow wardens to keep communities moving during the winter.
Councillor Stuart Hughes will be helped by Ian Barlow and staff from Sidmouth Garden Centre, as well as local farmer, Malcolm Burrough, pulling tow-along gritters to cover more than four miles of roads in the Sid Valley.
DCC has provided up to five tonnes of salt and grit for those parish and town councils who have joined the scheme.
After undergoing training, the snow wardens will decide themselves which local public roads and footpaths to salt.
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The team’s route includes Sidmouth High Street and Fore Street, Salcombe Regis, Sidford, and roads in and around the Bickwell Valley that are not on DCC’s main salting network.
They will have a push-along gritter to treat pavements in the town centre.
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Councillor Hughes, DCC’s cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: “Temperatures are just starting to drop a bit now but we’re all geared up and ready.
“The snow warden scheme is an additional resource on top of the winter service the county council already provides – it does not replace anything that the county council does and Devon has not abandoned any salting routes.
“DCC is already treating more miles of road than in any previous year and this only adds to that.”
He sees the snow warden’s community salting routes as extension of DCC’s secondary network. In all, the council will treat 3,256 kilometres of roads this winter, although, said Mr Hughes, Sidmouth High Street is not one.
“We can’t do every road in the town, but we’ll be trying to make it easier for local people to reach their nearest road which is gritted by the county council,” he said.
“I’m delighted to see that so many towns and parishes have signed up to the scheme in its first full year and that so many people want to do something for their community.”
He said those towns with snow wardens would be better prepared against any severe weather this winter.
Insurance for the wardens will be provided by DCC. For more information visit: www.devon.gov.uk/winter.
