FLINTSHIRE and Wrexham councils are "not too concerned" after a warning of a national shortage of gritter drivers.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has said this week some UK local authorities will struggle to keep gritting services going amid a shortage of truck drivers.

Last month, the Road Haulage Association said that the UK needs 100,000 more HGV drivers if it is to meet demand - and with hauliers upping pay packets to entice applicants, the LGA has said it is putting councils under strain.

However, both Flintshire and Wrexham councils have allayed concerns that motorists could be facing the prospect of driving on icier roads in the two counties this winter.

Both authorities say they have contingency measures in place to ensure gritting operations won't be affected by any driver shortages.

Flintshire Council said: "This is not an issue affecting Flintshire. We have measures in place to ensure winter maintenance operations are not disrupted and we will continue to monitor this."

Wrexham Council said: "We are not too concerned at the moment but are monitoring the situation very closely and we are aware the situation could change quickly.

"We have made some contingency plans as a provision should we need to implement them.”