Welsh Conservatives have today called for urgent clarification on grit supplies in Wales.
Earlier this month, in his response to a Written Assembly Question from Nick Bourne AM, the Deputy First Minister said “Wales has sufficient salt stocks to provide in excess of the recommended 12 days resilience”.
He has now urgently called for more supplies from England amid reports of dwindling grit levels across Wales and another 12,000 tonnes from Sweden; not due to arrive until December 30th.
The Leader of the Welsh Conservatives has written to the Minister for to ask for an immediate update on the situation.
Mr Bourne said: “It is absolutely essential that we get a clear picture of exactly what is happening regarding grit supplies.
“What arrangements are in place for mutual assistance across Wales? If we have 65,000 tonnes of grit left, how are we going to get more of it to the areas now struggling?
“We have some councils with levels far, far higher than others. That obviously needs to be resolved as soon as possible and Labour-Plaid needs to make its strategy clear.
“Once the fresh supplies arrive from Sweden, we need to know how this grit is going to be shared across the country.
“We also need to know what conversations the Minister is having with the UK Government, which has been available for discussions on grit supplies for many months.
“The last few days have clearly seen some extreme weather conditions in Wales and I know there is much on-going hard work to keep our roads moving.
“With the freeze set to continue however, we need this urgent clarification from Labour-Plaid on exactly what it is doing to co-ordinate efforts.”
