St Albans residents offer to buy own salt bin

RESIDENTS fed up with an inner-city street corner becoming impassible during cold snaps have offered to fork out their own cash to buy a salt bin.

Councillor Jack Pia complained about the lack of a bin at a recent Highways Joint Member Panel meeting, telling Herts Highways representatives that one had not been allocated despite his request. Residents were concerned about the danger motorists faced when the usually untreated corner of Keyfield Terrace and Albert Street iced over.

As a result residents have decided to take the matter into their own hands and have managed to find a bin for �100 on the internet, half the price that Herts Highways said it would cost to supply. However they expect Herts Highways, which holds ultimate responsibility for county roads, to provide salt to fill the bin.

Promised

Cllr Jack Pia told fellow district and county councillors at the forum last week that residents had offered to pay for the bin which was similar to those sited throughout St Albans. After the meeting he said he believed that, “nobody has ever suggested buying their own salt bin.”

Herts Highways said it would examine the request for salt. At the forum, Cllr Teresa Heritage asked why, “loads of salt bins were promised to parishes but didn’t arrive.”

Danny Kyan, Herts Highways area service manager for Mid Herts, explained the bins were being made in Scotland and while undelivered bins were a “blip” the organisation was “looking into it.”

Herts Highways also sought to ease people’s fears about being sued should passers-by slip on cleared paths, repeating legal guidance that, “if an accident did happen it’s highly unlikely that you would be sued.”

They said there was no law stopping people from clearing snow and ice on the pavement outside their property, pathways to their property or public spaces.

The organisation said residents could use salt from public salt bins to salt and clear snow from pavements outside their property or business but not private footpaths or driveways.

In a report to the panel, Herts Highways said it welcomed assistance from residents in clearing snow and ice.

Salt stocks at New Year were approximately 3,700 tonnes, bolstered by further deliveries over the holiday period and an additional 9,000 tonnes recently.