STRATTON’S roads are unsafe without grit bins and the council must provide more immediately, residents say.

Stratton parish councillor and Labour’s St Margaret and South Marston candidate Barrie Jennings has urged Swindon Borough Council to put grit bins on roads that were recently cut from gritting routes.

Last year, Swindon reduced its gritting routes along a number of roads across the borough, including such Stratton roads as Nythe Road, Bunce Road, Casson Road, Delamere Drive, Gifford Road, Godwin Road and Marshfield Way.

Since then, residents concerned that the roads are dangerous in winter have contacted Coun Jennings about placing grit bins on routes that have lost their gritting service.

He said: “I have been surprised by how many people have got in touch with me since the cold weather we had this year, about how much they missed the council’s gritting service.

“The cold weather showed how unsafe some of Stratton St Margaret’s roads are without a gritting service or a grit bin.”

Back in November, the council justified cutting the gritting routes on the grounds that it would make the runs two hours shorter, thus, they said, “improving our response times in a cold snap and making the service much more efficient”.

A council spokesman at the time said: “The review of all our gritting routes this year has been carried out to ensure that we can complete our treatments within the three hours which has been adopted as the standard for all Highway Authorities in the South West.

“In order to achieve this, it has been necessary to remove some estate roads, such as those in Stratton St Margaret, so we can focus on the major roads in the borough.”

But, according to Coun Jennings, this is unacceptable.

He added: “I keep being told these roads do not meet the council’s criteria, so I would like to see a new criteria that will at least provide grit bins for roads that have just lost their gritting service.”

But leader of the council David Renard said he fully agreed with Coun Jennings and confirmed he is currently working with his fellow Conservative councillors to secure additional bins.

He said: “The Conservative councillors are already working with Councillor Mary Martin and I on the provision of additional grit bins in the Stratton area, so we agree that residents’ concerns need to be addressed.”