§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the gritting of back roads in Lancashire during the winter. [100611]
§ Mr. JamiesonThere is currently no statutory duty obliging highway authorities in England to grit roads in order to prevent ice from forming. We shall, however, introduce such a duty at a suitable legislative opportunity.
In the absence of a statutory duty, we do, nevertheless, expect local highway authorities to grit their roads in accordance with the Code of Practice for highway maintenance "Delivering Best Value in Highway Maintenance", which was published in July 2001 by the Institution of Highways and Transportation. The Code recommends that a hierarchy of roads be established for winter maintenance treatment, in regular consultation with the local community. Back roads would not normally feature highly in these hierarchies.