DO it yourself road-gritting is on the way for Ledbury, with the town council agreeing to purchase more than 30 extra grit bins over the next three years, with the idea that members of the public will do the shovelling.

And local residents will even get to tell the town council where the bins should be located

The idea is the brain child of Cllr Tony Bradford, chairman of the town's environment and leisure committee, and he has won the support of fellow councillors.

Many Ledbury residents this week, faced with the onslaught of the Beast from the East, have also given a big thumbs-up for the project.

For Cllr Bradford it is the way to go for parish councils, because the cash-strapped Herefordshire Council has made it clear in talks that its contractor, Balfour Beatty, will mainly target main routes in icy weather, with side roads off the list as a priority.

But matters came to a head with the big freeze-up shortly before Christmas, when even well-used footpaths such as Orchard Lane, near the Tesco store, were too slippery for pedestrians to use, and they found themselves having to walk in the road instead, among traffic.

Cllr Bradford said of the extra grit bin project: "The situation last December led to a deluge of comments on social media, with many people referring to Ledbury Town Council; but it's not in our remit to do the highways, and we don't have the budget. But I asked Herefordshire Council's contractor, Balfour Beatty, for more grit bins, because there was a lot of outrage there. Car parks in the centre of town were treacherous, for example.

"I asked them, if we supply the grit bins, could they supply the grit, and they said yes. As town councillors, we are beginning to realise that we have to step up and start doing things like this. But the town council won't be putting grit down. Local residents will do it themselves. It will be a community project. It will be self-help."

The town council will buy 11 grit bins this year, with a further 22 lined up for the following two years.

The public will be asked, during a consultation exercise, where the new bins should be located.

Posting on the Facebook site, The Voice of Ledbury, local resident Kate Powell said: "It's about time we had some more grit bins, I think most people don't mind spreading it; we just need access to it ."

And Kyle Dowward said: "I'd be happy to grit, and the Deer Park where buses turn should have one, and also by the park, as there is a lot of elderly people who go out, and from what I've seen there isn't a grit box near there."

Sara Manns Pedlingham added: "Access to doctors' surgeries, hospital, chemist's residential homes and schools should take priority. Barnett Avenue being a cul de sac, and used as a car park for the school most of the time, could do with gritting, and both pathways either side of it that surround the school."

The new bins were not in place, however, in time for this week's bad weather. But Herefordshire Council had prepared in advance.

A spokesman said: "The county’s salt barns were fully stocked with 3,274 tonnes tonnes of salt available to the 30-strong gritting team, which operates 16 frontline gritting vehicles, four snow blowers and two quad bikes, all on stand-by 24/7 to treat the county’s routes.

"However, weather conditions can change quickly. All routes can become treacherous, even once they have been salted, and drivers are advised to take extra care on the roads and not to make any unnecessary journeys."

At the time of going to press, strong flurries of settling snow had been falling on Ledbury since around 6am on Thursday morning, with heavier snowfalls predicted for later that day.

But most local schools opened on Thursday, including Ledbury Primary and the John Masefield High School.

But the Masefield then took the decision to close at 11am, because of adverse weather conditions.