There is only enough grit and salt for the next two to three days, the chief executive of Caerphilly County Borough has admitted.
The cold weather, which has brought Caerphilly County Borough to a virtual standstill, has had a devastating effect on the amount of grit the council has for the roads.
Like many other local authorities across the country, CCBC is facing dwindling stockpiles and it is also having problems ordering more because of the high demand.
4,000 tonnes of salt is currently on order but that should have arrived at council depots before Christmas.
Stuart Rosser, CCBC’s chief executive, said: “At present we are prioritising the main ‘A‘ and ‘B’ road network where possible, therefore rural lanes along with common and mountain roads will take a lower priority.
“Once we have confidence in the main arterial network, we will concentrate on the remainder of the usual pre-salted network. Rurally located villages such as Manmoel, Trinant and Deri have today had JCB teams designated to them to maintain a link to the main highway network.
“This approach will be kept under continual review to reflect weather conditions and our level of salt supplies.”
Latest weather reports suggest a clear, sunny but cold day with freezing temperatures on Thursday with more snow to come later in the week.
The bad weather has meant the council has been unable to complete any waste collections today.
A spokesman said: “Our dedicated and committed workforce had almost caught up with disruption caused by previous inclement weather before being further set back today.
“It is likely, given the current weather forecast, that many streets and cul de sacs will remain unsafe for our vehicles for a number of days due to the effects of snow and ice.
“Starting Thursday our staff will continue to collect as much as possible as quickly as possible providing it is safe for us to do so. It is important to understand that it is unlikely that we will be able to fully catch up with collection rounds before the next collection cycle next week.”
