A number of recent letters and articles have questioned why we don't grit side roads. I understand that people would like us to clear every road as snow and ice makes life difficult for everyone, but there are good reasons why we can’t.

We spend £4m a year on tackling winter weather. In East Lancashire 43% of all roads are on our priority network and we treat them within four hours whenever a freeze is forecast.

A further 28% of roads are also treated in more severe weather, such as snow, which means 71% of all roads are part of the gritting network.

Two shifts of drivers work around the clock to keep the main routes clear during prolonged snow. This leaves no capacity to plough or grit side roads which, because they are smaller, more congested, roads, would take days rather than hours.

Effective treatment of roads to prevent snow and ice relies on gritting them before and as the first snow arrives. To keep side roads as clear as main routes would mean treating them at the same time as the main routes, taking at least double our resources.

We spend whatever is needed to keep the county moving, but the salt used to do this costs money and neither salt nor money are in endless supply.

Our hard-working crews do respond to specific requests from the public, and to problems they come across while patrolling, by treating roads which aren't on the gritting network. But during severe weather it takes all our resources simply to keep the main routes moving.

County Coun Tim Ashton, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport.