Fears over Harrow missing grit delivery (From Harrow Times)

Grit delivery late raises fears of transport chaos in Harrow

3:36pm Tuesday 5th January 2010 in News By Tristan Kirk

1,000 of grit ordered by Harrow Council has not arrived yet.

HARROW could be left “high and dry” in freezing conditions if a shipment of grit ordered last month does not arrive.

Harrow Council has stockpiled 650 tonnes of salt, enough to constantly distribute on the borough's roads if snow continues to fall over the next four days.

However, another 1,000 tonnes order in December by council chiefs has failed to arrive, leaving the borough's roads potentially vulnerable if the freezing conditions continue.

Councillor Susan Hall, deputy leader of the council, said: “We had ordered 1,000 tonnes of extra salt for this month but the supplier has so far not come up with it, which has basically left us high and dry.

"We'll do what we can, but if salt suppliers don't honour their obligations, it doesn't leave us much room for manoeuvre."

Gritting teams are due to hit the roads this evening from 10pm ahead of expected heavy snowfall across Greater London and the South East overnight.

If the snowfall and freeezing conditions are light, the gritting stocks could last as long as a fortnight.

Schools will judge tomorrow morning whether they can open for the day, and special needs transport teams will similar assess whether they can operate in adverse conditions.

You can find out about school closures and how the weather is affecting Harrow by visiting www.harrowtimes.co.uk.