It looks like Lancashire drivers will have to grit their teeth this winter and just hope that the weather's not that cold...

Why?

Because according to the Labour opposition, the authority's decided to lower the road surface temperature intervention level from +1.0C to +0.5C, effectively cutting the gritting treatments on the highway network this winter.

The County Council are hoping to save £110k per annum, by reducing the number of network gritting treatments during the winter period to primary and secondary routes.

Cutting the intervention is predicted to reduce the number of gritting treatments by 894 across Lancashire - a figure based on the intervention levels of +1.0C over the past two winters.

Inaccurate forecasting, which is a possibility could result in a lack of action by the council; if the intervention level was lowered to +0.5C, then routes that would have been gritted, will not be gritted with a possibility that hazards may have formed on that segment of the route, increasing the risk to the travelling public on this untreated segment of the network.

Said Cllr. Erica Lewis for Labour's Highways and Transport group: "After what has been described as one of the worst winter on record, the Conservative administration's response is to cut winter gritting."

"The people of Lancashire have already had to put up with the worst pothole repair responses, cuts to white lines, road signs and street lighting, all of which adds to pedestrians and road users risk.

"The gritting service is also vital for hospitals, schools, support workers getting to vulnerable people at home and Lancashire people getting to work.

"All this risk so the Conservative can cut £110k off their budget!. This is a disaster waiting to happen! People in Lancashire are being asked to pay a heavy price in more than money to prop up this chaotic Conservative Council which underspent on the Highways Budget by £5 million last year."