Just seen the gritter lorry edging down the hill in Kiln Road. Both ways down and up an absolute nightmare! Seeing the amber lights a lady stood by me said with some feeling - 'look at that, couldn't you just give him a kiss'. Having driven a fair bit through the South today; WBC have done a great job. You can't beat nature, but these lads have just kept going. From a grateful motorist - many thanks, effort much appreciated.

You presumably haven't been in Newbury this afternoon.

I think they've done a great job as well. And I really hate WBC.

Odd; I don't hate WBC, but I have seen little evidence that there has been sufficient gritting.

Pop over to Basingstoke and try coming back via Reading.

I think whether or not anywhere else is better or worse, is besides the point.

Not really, it might just be indicative of a touch of reality. Staff are now looking forward (?) to spending the night in the AA building in B'stoke

Newbury was bad this afternoon. In the town that is.

I think that WBC have done a rather decent job considering how very rarely this sort of thing actually happens. I mean if this happened regularly then I'd expect more as they should have invested in more equipment and be more used to how to most efficiently grit the roads.

All in all a good performance considering the lack of equipment, practice etc.

Newbury ground to a halt and everyone thinks they did a good job ...

Newbury 'grinding to a halt' was helped along the way by people deciding that the trip to town to buy Terry's Chocolate Oranges WAS an essential journey that demanded that they sit in a car for two to three hours.

'Grinding to a halt' was also ensured by drivers crawling over junctions despite the lights being on red .....and then blocking exits.

For the roads to be gritted, it needs cars to be out of the way. Drivers move out of the way for police and ambulances. An 18t HGV with flashing orange lights on top is just another lorry in the queue and makes the gritting process a lengthy one.

Then they should have been gritted this morning, as the forecast this morning might have suggested. BTW - saying they didn't do a good job isn't to say they didn't try.

Heavy snow wasn't forecast this morning, "a light dusting" is what they said.

Should they grit every day, just in case it snows?

When it doesn't get above, or barely above freezing, then perhaps they should. It is this that is the problem. It has remained very cold.

Who's going to pay for that then?

Us. Driving round the south of Newbury and Greenham over the past few days, the gritting was barely detectable.

Any idea how much gritting every day in the winter might potentially cost us taxpayers?

I don't know, do you? Well we be better find out, because everyone will suffer if not. Like I said, I think the gritting has been sparse in the South of West Berkshire.

I'm not suggesting that gritting is required everyday, but what has been put down, seems to have had little affect round here.

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8420755.stm

very interesting article.

Yes, it's not as easy as some of the armchair experts on here seem to think.

I have driven in from Marlborough to Newbury yesterday and this morning and I have not seen any evidence of gritting being carried out although the authority says it has?
Certainly yesterday afternoon in Newbury the roads were not gritted.

So how did you get in if there had been no salting carried out? With extreme difficulty, I presume although BBC Berkshire is telling us the main roads are passable now. B'stoke still tricky what with abandoned cars etc.

Early this morning it was not too bad as the thaw had started and the A4 was pretty clear provided that you took care.
I don't think I was the only one who thought that there was a lack of gritting particularly Monday afternoon.
BBC weeather forcast was not accurate either.

Thats a shame Strafin because we all really love you!

Of course being local and working for WBC means

1) The bad weather doesn't affect me and my family as we get the staff benefit of 100% bad weather discount. So my son wasnt really stuck in Cold Ash with his Aunt overnight, my 7 months pregnant wife didn't have to struggle for an hour from town centre to a mile away in the car I let her have as it was too dangerous for her to walk and as the aforementioned didn't happen, I didn't have to walk home at 6 in the ice and snow with no coat or sturdy footwear. The last bit of course could also not have happened because all Council staff are sent home the moment the sun isnt shining brightly, despite our 100% bad weather discount.

2) Every member of the 1000s of staff are to blame for everything the Council may or may not do as we are all one big department.

And yes I am on my lunchbreak as even superheroes are entitled to one!

Merry Christmas!

I knew it, I knew Council staff were treated better than us peasants!

Any idea how much not gritting might potentially cost the private sector?

And the public.

Any idea what this will cost us all in raised prices?

Any way you look at it, there is a cost to this weather. Is it cheaper for the council to foot the bill and get things moving? It would be interesting to know the answers and see which is the best way in the future