COUNCIL bosses are bracing themselves for another arctic winter with 1,000 tonnes of extra grit.

The extra rock salt has been drafted in to avoid a repeat of January’s shortage which sparked chaos on Flintshire roads.

A dedicated team of night shift gritters will use a state-of-the-art tracker system to monitor the rate of salt spread.

A brand new salt dome has also been built to store supplies.

Environment bosses have taken the extra measures in case severe weather conditions strike again.

Steve Jones, head of Streetscene, told a meeting of the environment scrutiny committee: “Nobody needs reminding of the impact of last winter and the severe shortage of rock salt which affected the whole county.

“We have been taking orders of salt throughout the summer to avoid the same happening again.

“Now we are full to capacity and ready for the winter.”

The council has bought 5,000 tonnes of salt from the Salt Mine in Winsford and an extra 1,000 tonnes from the continent which will be expected in the next month.

A second salt dome has been built in Halkyn to share the stocks already at the Alltami depot.

A shortage of salt in January meant roads took priority for gritting over sheltered accommodation and schools.

Aston councillor George Hardcastle is hoping the same mistake will not be made again.

He told the meeting: “Sheltered housing always gets left but it should be high on the priority list.

“These elderly people need to get to hospital appointments so it is important that we make it safe for them to get out.”

Caergwrle councillor Stella Jones added: “You can’t just dump salt on sheltered accommodation. These are 70-year-old women living on their own so they can’t shift salt on their own.”

A “snow code” to give the public advice on how to clear ice from pavements, while protecting them from negligence claims, is also to be launched by the government.

An interim report from the winter resilience review panel said people should be encouraged to clear paths and driveways without fearing they could be sued for compensation if someone later falls.

Buckley councillor Mike Peers said: “You want to be a good person and help clear your neighbour’s drive but you don’t want to land yourself in court either. It is sad that it has come to this.”