A WEATHER forecast for more frost this weekend has raised a worry about winter maintenance of roads in Upper Wensleydale.

Some residents feel that promises have been broken concerning the re-location of the salt pile at Bainbridge and delivery of salt to remote locations.

Parish councillors at Bainbridge consider the county has broken a promise to find a new site for the salt before the old depot closed.

In previous years, by the end of October, North Yorkshire county highways had distributed small salt piles on hilly roads and lanes for isolated communities, but so far, at the end of the third week of November, no salt can be seen.

Durham has already distributed salt piles in Weardale and Teesdale to similar locations.

In previous winters, a huge pile of salt has been stacked in the old county highways depot at Bainbridge close to the A684 for easy distribution.

North Yorkshire County Council sold the depot on November 1 to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority for its new northern headquarters. Negotiations for a covered area near Hawes broke down.

The remaining salt pile was not moved up dale to Tarney Fors quarry, but down dale.

By Tuesday, only about six lorry loads of salt were standing at a new location in Tarney Fors quarry about 1 miles west of Hawes high up on the Ingleton road.

The story goes back to 1997, when the D&S Times reported that notices had gone up to sell the old depot at Bainbridge, but no councillors had been consulted.

Bainbridge hoped the site could be converted into work units supported by county councillor John Blackie, but this was considered unviable.

Residents feared that the salt pile would disappear from the upper dale, where poor weather can come in quickly and be dangerous. Two Askrigg residents got up a petition signed by 1,100 people requesting that winter maintenance facilities continued to be located in the upper dale. This was presented to county highways officials at a public meeting in Bainbridge, when assurances were given to a maintenance an upper dale site.

Last Friday, Coun Blackie contacted the district surveyor at Richmond, after a visit by a resident, and was given an assurance that salt would be based at Tarney Fors that day, and steep slopes and isolated roads would receive salt piles by Tuesday. However, this did not happen.

Later this week, Coun Blackie, said it was hoped a permanent home could be found for the salt pile in the dale. The move to Tarney Fors was temporary, and the county council hoped to find a landowner willing to allow a corner of land to house a salt barn.

He said that salt and grit should be delivered to Tarney Fors and to small roadsite sites by this weekend.