A REFUSE truck slid towards a mother and child as a snow-hit, un-gritted West Hill road turned into a skating rink this week.

A REFUSE truck slid towards a mother and child as a snow-hit, un-gritted West Hill road turned into "a skating rink" this week.

Bendarroch Road, a bus route used by parents taking children to the village's primary school, is never gritted according to worried residents who have labelled it as "an accident waiting to happen".

Police closed the road off to uphill traffic on Monday morning when a lorry became stuck on the stretch, which was busy with parents walking their children to school due to adverse weather conditions.

Peter Montgomery, 59, who lives in the road, caught the moment a rubbish truck slid towards a mother and child on camera as it's driver struggled to stay in control.

Mr Montgomery said: "It's fortunate it was on flatter part of hill, had it been higher up it wouldn't have stopped.

"The driver was pumping the breaks trying to stop vehicle, the woman looked disconcerted.

"Vehicles were sliding up and down where a lot of women and children were walking. A lorry got stuck going half way up hill and a bus was struggling along it. Its prone to getting very slippery and is a problem. Every time it snows it turns into a skating rink, it's an accident waiting to happen."

At the time of going to press Devon County Council were yet to comment on Bendarroch Road's gritting situation.