Partner Article

ICE warns on future freezes

The government and local authorities are being urged to learn from the problems the recent snow and ice have brought to transport infrastructure.

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North East says that the transport is too important to the North East to allow it to be so severely affected by bad weather.

“As with the Cumbria Floods, the latest big freeze has again served to highlight the fragility of our critical infrastructure and energy supplies,” said Stephen Larkin, regional director, ICE North East.

“This year, things were worse than last year and again we weren’t prepared, despite the Government establishing Salt Cell, a body to respond to last February’s problems.

“What price a well-stocked salt depot when compared to the cost to the economy of not being prepared: lost work days, High Street retailers losing footfall and other such negatives brought about by impassable roads? Surely it is better to have the salt standing in depots waiting to be used than to not have enough to make our roads safe when needed.

“As well as being in a position to treat the main roads, it is worth looking at how rural areas and remote communities, such as farmers, can be helped. We should consider the feasibility of providing these areas with their own supplies of salt so that they can help themselves.

“Lessons surely can and should be learned. This type of weather may become a more frequent occurrence due to climate change. We may even see worse to come this year if the recent trend for February’s bad weather to overshadow that in January continues.

“It may be true that this doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, we must be ready.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .