UK NEWS

ARCTIC WEATHER: STILL WAITING FOR SALT SUPPLIES

Councils have complained that salt supplies are not getting through despite the threat of more snow

Wednesday February 10,2010

By John Ingham

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COUNCILS complained yesterday that salt supplies are not getting through despite the looming threat of more snow and ice.

One said it had ordered 2,000 tons in December and is still waiting for it.

Many others have not rebuilt stocks since last month’s cold spell.

A supply chains expert described the situation as “astonishing”, particularly after the travel chaos in December and January. Last month, in the worst winter spell in 30 years, salt supplies came close to running out.

But yesterday, the Daily Express revealed new salt shortages just as the Met Office forecast heavy snow for some parts of the country.

The Met Office said the worst-hit area is likely to be the most densely populated, the South-east, but snow is also likely in East Anglia and on the eastern side of Britain.

Temperatures overnight are expected to fall below freezing across the country for the next few days, creating icy roads for the morning rush hour even in snow-free areas.

The “deeply worrying” problems in the supply chain were exposed by Harrow Council, in north London. Councillor Susan Hall compared supply delays with Billy Bunter’s endless wait for cash from home.

She said: “Harrow Council placed an order for 2,000 tons of salt in December 2009 before the cold spell hit, but has yet to see any of it delivered. Waiting for our salt to come is on a par with waiting for Billy Bunter’s postal order, only with marginally less chance of success."

“We are conserving our supplies carefully and will have to eke it out as there appears scant chance of any fresh stock arriving. It is deeply worrying.”

Chief executive of The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply, David Noble, said: “With the threat of further snow, it is astonishing the grit shortage debate is raising its ugly head so soon.

“Not only are there concerns some councils are failing to replenish their stocks, but what is left may not reach the worst affected areas in time. There is a clear need for better supply-chain management.”

Main supplier, Cheshire-based Salt Union, said it is working “round the clock to keep Britain moving”. A spokesman added: “We are mining 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

The Department for Transport said that they were working to ensure supplies were in place to get through an “exceptional winter”.

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