Salt shipment heading for docks

Adverse weather has left WSCC with low supplies of salt for the roads

A ship carrying extra supplies of salt to use on the roads in West Sussex is due to dock early on Saturday.

The MV Torrent set sail from Hamburg on Tuesday with 1,560 tonnes of rock salt ordered by West Sussex County Council (WSCC) after supplies ran low.

Council leader Henry Smith said its gritters had been out a record number of times during the recent weeks of sub-zero temperatures.

He added that the conditions had caused a growing number of potholes.

The MV Torrent is due to arrive at Shoreham docks at 0600 GMT.

The extra salt was ordered after the council's usual suppliers were unable to keep up with demand.

The council had only 3,000 tonnes of salt left, enough for 12 full gritting runs.

Topping up

"It was essential that we found an alternative salt source promptly," said Richard Collins, spokesman for the council's contractor May Gurney.

"Whilst salt barns in West Sussex were not empty, the stocks needed topping up," he said.

Mr Smith said the county's winter maintenance budget was heavily overspent and called for help from the government.

He has written to transport secretary Geoff Hoon about the problems caused by the severe weather.

"What worries me particularly is our ability to full repair the damage being wreaked upon our road infrastructure due to a long-term shortfall in central government grants," he told Mr Hoon.

He said the council's pothole patrols would be carrying out repairs as soon as the weather allowed.

"There is also a limit to what can be achieved and this is why we badly need extra funding," he said.

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