A NOTORIOUS stretch of road will not be gritted regularly this winter despite pleas for something to be done before someone is killed.
Instead people who cross the Stang to Arkengarthdale have been told they will have to pay themselves if they want the route kept clear during wintry weather. A call for Durham County Council to upgrade the Stang Road to a priority one gritting route was made earlier this year after a series of collisions.
Locals say the North Yorkshire side of the road is often clear, but the County Durham side remains icy.
County officers undertook a review of priority one roads in August but decided against upgrading the Stang Road’s priority two status, which means it will only be gritted in times of “prolonged severe weather”.
Brian Buckley, strategic highways manager at Durham County Council, said: “We grit as many of our roads as we can to keep the county moving and safe during the winter.
“Our priority one gritting routes cover 45 per cent of the county’s road network, or more than 1,000 miles, which is one of the highest levels of coverage in the UK. Our priority two gritting routes cover a further ten per cent, more than 200 miles, during periods of prolonged severe winter weather. We have completed our annual winter maintenance review and we can confirm The Stang will remain a priority two gritting route for the 2018/19 season.”
In a separate letter to Reeth business owner and Stang Road campaigner Jed Collins, a county officer said the road is similar to other priority two routes countywide and the county did not have cash to upgrade its gritting status.
The officer added that a parish council could fund a service level agreement with the county to ensure the road is gritted.
The county council added: “However, I appreciate that many parishes have very small precepts and this may not be feasible.”
Mr Collins said the claim that the road is similar to other priority two routes in the county is “patently untrue” because it rises to almost 1,700 feet above sea level – higher than any other route in the county.
He said: “As a comparison the road from Greta Bridge to Barningham is priority one, it rises from 425 feet above sea level to the giddy height of 688 feet above sea level.
“The Stang road starts at its junction with the A66 at 720 feet above sea level and rises to 1,690 feet above sea level. Barningham has three roads into and from it so there’s no problem with alternative routes if one were to get blocked. There’s no logic to their argument and I believe it’s fair to say their stubbornness in this matter endangers lives.”
Mr Buckley said the county council regularly tops up the salt heaps along the Stang Road to help stranded motorists.
