A COUNCIL chief is urging residents to back him in his bid to win back a cut in the winter road gritting budget.

Highways officials at Durham County Council last month agreed to cut its winter maintenance fund for the whole county by £400,000 - meaning a big reduction in the number of roads that will be gritted.

Councillor Alex Watson, leader of Derwentside District Council, fears the cuts will endanger lives.

The district is about 800ft above sea level and often experiences severe winters.

"Because of the topography of Derwentside, the roads during the winter are a real menace, not just from snow but from ice," he said.

"People's health and safety should not be compromised by cutting back on pre-gritting."

He feels the cuts would not have gone through if the county council had asked residents first.

"We felt that the public should have been consulted," he said. "To continue the service would mean in effect an increase of approximately 5p per household per week."

Coun Watson believes the people of Derwentside would be willing to dig even deeper to improve the service.

"We feel that they could have been given the option to go further for an enhanced scheme," he said.

He appealed for all residents who want the road gritting programme restored to last year's level to write in and their comments would be passed on to the county council.

Anyone wanting to comment should write to John Shepherd, head of general services, at the Civic Centre, Consett, County Durham.