Pat Fitzgerald, Waterford County Council gritter driver, who was out most nights over Christmas and the New Year gritting roads, pictured loading up for another long haul.                   | Photo: Sean Byrne

Pat Fitzgerald, Waterford County Council gritter driver, who was out most nights over Christmas and the New Year gritting roads, pictured loading up for another long haul. | Photo: Sean Byrne

Waterford Co. Council spread almost 1,000 tonnes of salt at a cost of €130,000 on icy roads around the county since the start of the big freeze, the members of the Council were told at the January monthly meeting in Dungarvan, this week.

The quantity of salt spread daily on roads to keep them ice free was up by over than 300 tonnes or 46 per cent more than the amount used during the same period last year.

A note of warning was sounded by Director of Services, Michael Quinn, who said the worst of the winter weather may come in February as it did last year. The high and unusual cost of road maintenance in February 2009 led to maintenance problems for the Council later in the year due to lack of funding caused by the increased expenditure in the winter months. It was unlikely that the Council would get additional grant funding for 2010.

Mr Quinn said that extra salt was spread around towns and at places where the Gardai called out council workers during the cold snap. Villages and towns got some salt but not ‘full cover’ and additional salting was kept to a minimum for financial reasons.

Council outdoor staff were publicly thanked for putting in a huge amount of time and effort into dealing with icy roads and water supply beak downs Regular routes salted were the N 25 from Waterford to Youghal and on the N72 from Dungavan to Tallow Bridge.

Councillors called on the Council to provide stock piles of grit around the county to enable local voluntary workers to grit roads in the event of a freeze up.
See The Munster Express newspaper for full story.