"We have a duty of care to residents", say Lambeth's gritters (From Streatham Guardian)

"We have a duty of care to residents", say Lambeth's gritters

2:28pm Monday 11th January 2010

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Grit has been the word on everyone's lips in the past week.

Brian Drucquer, 60, runs Lambeth's gritting service, and has been charged with ensuring Lambeth's road network gets the grit it needs to keep moving.

He and his team have often been sleeping in the cabs of the borough's four gritting vehicles to ensure they are on-hand to get out on the roads when necessary.

He said: "It's been pretty gruelling, but we have a duty of care to residents."

They base their routine on four Met office briefings every 24 hours, and the amount of grit they drop is based on what kind of snow they are dealing with, temperatures and the forecast.

They implement Lambeth's snow plan - which focuses on keeping 178 km of the most heavily used routes, as well as areas around schools, hospitals, transport hubs and major public buildings, clear, and stock the borough's grit bins so residents can clear areas outside their homes.

A shortage of grit nationwide has led the Government to order companies to stop giving grit to shops and councils.

But Lambeth - which ordered in an extra 250 tonnes of grit and has been regularly replenishing its stocks - said it is not in danger of running out.

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