Written question asked by Mark Hunter (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 18 January 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 20 January 2010. It was answered by Lord Khan of Tooting (Labour) on Monday, 1 February 2010 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Question: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what consideration his Department has given to the effects on the environment of the use of (a) grit and (b) salt to remedy the effects of cold weather conditions on the roads.

Answer: The Department for Transport endorses 'Well-maintained Highways', the code of practice for highway maintenance management published by the UK Roads Liaison Group.The section on winter service in this code includes guidance on the storage and spreading of salt and grit used in severe weather, to ensure that damage to the environment is kept to a minimum.The use of salt to treat the road network to help prevent the formation of ice and build up of snow is acknowledged as the only viable wide scale treatment option. Notwithstanding this, the Highways Agency has recognised the potential impact of salt on the environment and this was part of its consideration in adopting the "pre-wet" salt application technique, within its new winter vehicle fleet. Due to its greater application accuracy, up to 25 per cent. less salt can be used to treat the network helping to minimise the environmental impact of winter maintenance activities.

Secondary information