Andrew Waller, Lib Dem, hits out at cold snap preparations

Liberal Democrat councillor, Andrew Waller of Westfield ward called on the council to "urgently" refill the ward's grit bins ahead of the current icy weather.

Over the Christmas period, Cllr Waller said he inspected grit bins on his ward and found them empty.

City of York Council have since said they were struggling to maintain grit bin provisions whilst staff dealt with flooding at the time.

Cllr Waller said: "We reported several weeks ago that some salt bins were empty, damaged or missing, and now have asked the council to refill the grit bins as a matter of urgency so that the grit is available when needed for icy conditions."

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Slamming the decision not to refill grit bins ahead of the cold snap, he said: "Over the next few weeks many salt bins that residents are familiar with and go to when needed will find them empty. This is in streets right across the ward."

In response to these claims, City of York Council's James Gilchrist, Director Environment, Transport and Planning said: "Our front line staff work hard to ensure we’re able to respond to a variety of changing weather conditions.

"During recent weeks we’ve experienced increased pressure on staff levels to help protect the city from flooding events, and clean up after them.

"Unfortunately this has meant that some grit bins have not been re-filled as frequently as they normally would. We have teams currently working across the city to ensure all bins are full for this current cold spell in order to help keep neighbourhoods safe."