Good news on grit stocks (From Wharfedale Observer)

Good news on grit stocks

12:25pm Thursday 7th January 2010

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Snow can be surprisingly divisive. For the young and young at heart (especially those free from the responsibilities that usually go with adulthood) it is, quite simply, brilliant fun and opens up a new universe of exciting opportunities including snowball fights, sledging and snowman-building.

It is also a hit aesthetically, something only a quick glimpse at our breathtakingly frosted local landscape will confirm: it looks beautiful.

And for this time of year there is no getting around the fact that it simply seems right and natural to have a blanket of snow and cold, clear air: it’s already provided a great backdrop to millions of people’s 2009 Christmas.

But in the workaday, practical world, snow is usually given the cold shoulder – with good reason. After all, as this week’s events in Wharfedale and Aireborough, as across the country, attest to, the cold, white stuff can cause a lot of serious problems.

Car, train, bus and plane journeys were all severely disrupted this week, no doubt costing the local economy hundreds of thousands, if not several millions, of pounds in lost work. And the closure of some of our schools, even if only for a day, is obviously not the start to a new educational term that any teacher would want.

More seriously, the cold weather we are currently experiencing can lead to the tragedy of people freezing to death for fear of facing high fuel bills, and, of course, to terrible accidents on the roads and, especially for the old and frail, on icy pavements.

So it is reassuring to hear Leeds City Council tell us that they, unlike some other local authorities in the country, will be able to keep gritting as long as they need to in order to minimise the disruption.

Meanwhile, the sledgers and snowball fighters among us will also secretly be hoping the white stuff lasts into the weekend, so we can fully enjoy it with a light heart.

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