07/01/2003
NIO rejects criticism of road service
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Angela Smith, has defended the DRD Road Service response to the current spate of cold weather which has affected Northern Ireland's road network.
The Minister was hitting back at reports in the media which criticised the Service's response to the recent bout of icy roads and that they had been caught out by the weather, leading to motorists facing treacherous conditions.
Mrs Smith said: “It is an unfortunate fact of life that every year at the first signs of icy conditions that Roads Service faces such criticisms instead of receiving credit for the work its staff carries out.
“There is absolutely no question of Roads Service having been caught out. The facts are that the gritters were out twice a day during the recent cold snap and staff worked flat out to ensure the safety of road users as best they could.
“Unfortunately, in some instances rain fell after the gritters had been out the first time and it washed away the salt and then froze over again. That was one of the reasons why the gritters went out a second time."
The Minister claimed that the Roads Service staff should also be recognised for their work despite the fact that it has no statutory obligation to salt roads.
Northern Ireland's current spate of icy weather began at the weekend when temperatures plummeted to minus 7 degrees in parts of the province on Saturday morning.
However, the Met Office has said that the current cold weather will become less severe in the run-up to this weekend as milder conditions arrive from the Atlantic.
(MB)
The Minister was hitting back at reports in the media which criticised the Service's response to the recent bout of icy roads and that they had been caught out by the weather, leading to motorists facing treacherous conditions.
Mrs Smith said: “It is an unfortunate fact of life that every year at the first signs of icy conditions that Roads Service faces such criticisms instead of receiving credit for the work its staff carries out.
“There is absolutely no question of Roads Service having been caught out. The facts are that the gritters were out twice a day during the recent cold snap and staff worked flat out to ensure the safety of road users as best they could.
“Unfortunately, in some instances rain fell after the gritters had been out the first time and it washed away the salt and then froze over again. That was one of the reasons why the gritters went out a second time."
The Minister claimed that the Roads Service staff should also be recognised for their work despite the fact that it has no statutory obligation to salt roads.
Northern Ireland's current spate of icy weather began at the weekend when temperatures plummeted to minus 7 degrees in parts of the province on Saturday morning.
However, the Met Office has said that the current cold weather will become less severe in the run-up to this weekend as milder conditions arrive from the Atlantic.
(MB)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.