FOLLOWING Mr Duckett's letter (Council needs to show true grit, January 25), I would like to explain the authority's gritting policy.

There are more than 975km of footpaths in York and, unfortunately, it is not practical or affordable to grit all the footpaths every time the conditions become icy.

However, the council has set aside a budget of £500,000 for salting the city's highway network every year and, if necessary, will spend more. This enables the council to treat 50 per cent of the road network - a much higher percentage than the 30 per cent national average and more than is carried out in most other authorities.

All the footpaths from central car parks and the train station into the city centre are treated, as are Haxby and Acomb shopping precincts and designated footways in key residential areas that have been identified as a particular priority, such as those with steep gradients near sheltered housing.

Members of the council's Neighbourhood Services team work hard to ensure that the city's highway network is kept moving during wintry weather but, unfortunately, they cannot mitigate the effect of the weather completely. We would always advise drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to take extra care in icy conditions.

Damon Copperthwaite Assistant director of City Development and Transport, City of York Council, St Leonard's Place, York.