Council vows to battle winter weather despite cuts

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has carried out a review of the response to this year's severe weather which caused chaos on the roads and left scores of people hospitalised after falling on snow or ice.

A full report will be presented to the ESCC cabinet on Wednesday September 15, but a spokesman said there would be no reduction in the number of gritting lorries.

But with the county council having to make 8.4 million in year cuts, there is no indication yet if any extra money will be available, with the council coming under fire from some quarters for not doing enough when bad weather struck in January.

The spokesman said: "We hope that this winter will not be as severe as last year, but if we do suffer extreme weather conditions again it is crucial we work together with residents and other authorities wherever possible to help maintain essential services.

"There will be no reduction in the number of gritters we send out to treat the county's roads and in light of last year's national salt shortage we will have almost 10,000 tonnes of salt ready for use this winter '“ most of that has already been delivered to our depots across the county.

"As we move into the winter months we will be talking to residents and businesses about how they can best prepare for severe weather and encouraging them to help themselves where possible."

Hastings Borough Council spokesman Caroline Kelly said the local authority was continuing to work closely with ESCC.