During the spell of colder weather, Maria Miller, MP for Basingstoke, went out to see for herself some of the new grit bins that Hampshire County Council has deployed across the town and has been hearing about how the Council had prepared itself to cope with severe weather.

 Given the severity of the last three winters, Hampshire County Council has increased its salt stocks this winter to allow for 15 days of resilience without restocking. This is more than double the Government’s recommendations.

 Additionally, for the residential roads that are not designated as priority routes for road salting, the Council has more than trebled the number of grit bins on the highway network. In Basingstoke and Deane there are now some 640 grit bins.

 Maria said: “I was very pleased to hear about the steps the County Council has taken to enable more residents in Basingstoke to keep their local roads and pavements clear during severe weather.  It is of course for the County Council to keep the priority roads clear, but I know that many residents and shopkeepers also want to help clear their own neighbourhoods, and these additional grit bins will enable them to do so.”