A LEADING councillor has described as 'madness' plans to cut £400,000 from County Durham's winter roads maintenance budget.

Derwentside District Council leader Alex Watson was holding talks with highways chiefs at Durham County Council this week in an 11th-hour attempt to stop the cuts.

The county council, which imposed a 14.8 per cent council tax rise earlier this year, is slashing the seasonal road maintenance budget to free money to pay its escalating spending on social services.

The county's highways department is responsible for winter maintenance, but employs district councils to operate the scheme.

Derwentside is about 800ft above sea level and traditionally suffers from bad winters.

Coun Watson fears a dramatic reduction in road gritting could lead to isolated communities being unable to reach vital services such as schools and hospitals.

"This is madness," he said. "The roads to be cut include bus routes and roads to industrial estates. It is going to be a disaster for schoolchildren and business."

He said poorer residents would be the worst affected. "In the main, the routes to be cut are in the poorer areas, areas of low car ownership. They are dependent on public transport and they are the ones who will suffer."

He said Derwentside's high altitude meant it should be treated as a special case.

Opposition leader and Independent councillor Bill Stockdale said he feared the cutbacks could make it unsafe for people trying to reach the nearest accident and emergency department, at the University Hospital of North Durham.

"We have all got to travel to the University Hospital for emergencies and it is going to be much more dangerous and difficult for some of us to get there," he said.

A county council spokesman said no separate figures for Derwentside were available on the budget cut.

He defended the council's cutting of road gritting. "We have always done more than most other highways authorities," he said.

"Even at the reduced level, it is still going to be better than most other authorities."

He added: "We won't be reducing the level of snow clearance. We would always warn motorists to drive with extreme caution at that time of year and perhaps even more so this winter."