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Worries over lack of gritting on routes to schools

BBC The front of a damaged busBBC
A bus was damaged after slipping on ice in Carmarthenshire

Bus companies have said they are concerned about the safety of schoolchildren because of a lack of gritting on rural roads.

A bus from Taf Valley Coaches struck a car and went into a hedge after sliding on ice while travelling in Cwm Miles near Login, Carmarthenshire, on Wednesday to pick up children.

There were no children on the bus at the time, but the driver was injured when he left the bus and slipped on ice.

Pembrokeshire council said there had been no changes to winter maintenance operations, while Carmarthenshire council said its routes had been "rationalised... based upon risk and to ensure equity of service".

The Welsh government said local authorities were responsible for maintaining secondary roads in their areas.

A spokesperson said: "We have provided local authorities with more than £5bn in funding in 2024-25 to deliver key services, an increase of 3.3% on the previous year."

Clive Edwards, owner of Taf Valley Coaches in Whitland, said the company operates 22 buses between Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.

"It [the bus] came to a certain part of the hill, a corner and it just took off on sheet ice... it totally lost control and hit a car coming up because they couldn't go up the hill as well, and lucky enough there were no children on the bus."

He has concerns that secondary routes are not being gritted.

Mr Edwards said: "They used to be gritted. They were gritted last year without fail.

"This year I've spoken to the council, they've told me that these are not gritted this year.

"Please look at this again, we've got the most precious cargo... we need to make sure that we take the children to school as safely as we possibly can."

A man stood in front of a bus. He is wearing a blue coat and a blue jumper. He has glasses, and a moustache.
Clive Edwards says the roads need to be looked at "because it's all about safety of the children"

Helen Bantock, from Cefnypant near Login, Carmarthenshire, said she lived on a rural lane which had not been gritted despite the freezing temperatures.

"We weren't gritted at all and I'm sure previous years we've had gritting done on the road," she said.

"We took the four by four out and didn't realise how bad it was until we got up the road," Ms Bantock.

Llyn Bran is a snow-covered and frozen lake, with snow also on fields behind it and in front
This may look like a snow-covered field, but in fact it's a frozen lake - Llyn Bran in Denbighshire

Her sons catch the bus to school from a bus stop three quarters of a mile down the road but when it did not arrive, she decided to make the four-mile journey there herself.

"The side roads are really really treacherous and [we] went a different way to school," she said, adding the wait and subsequent drive had taken over an hour out of her day.

Helen Bantock standing next to field gate and lane covered with patches of frost. She has red hair and is wearing a grey jacket over a blue hoodie and a black hat with her business name Frowen Fields on it
Helen Bantock says the road leading to her home was not gritted

Edward Thomas, cabinet member for transport on Carmarthenshire council said: "This year we have rationalised our primary winter gritting routes based upon risk and to ensure equity of service across the county.

"The primary routes cover 21% of the road network, which is in line with our neighbouring rural authorities."

Mr Thomas added "key facilities like hospitals, fire stations, and other busy routes" had been prioritised.

"Secondary routes and other problematic areas are treated reactively based on local road conditions and resources," he said.

Wednesday night was the coldest of the winter so far across Wales, with temperatures dropping to -8C (17.6F) near Llanwrtyd Wells in Powys and -7C (19.4F) near Capel Curig in Eryri, also known as Snowdonia.

Dorian Phillips, county councillor for Llanboidy, said: "It is a worry now with all these cut backs that these roads have been downgraded. Hopefully we can reinstate all the roads that were downgraded."

He is calling for more money for councils from Welsh government for rural areas.

"It's the rural areas that are being hit every time. I think they've really got to look at it this time. The state of the roads - they've been neglected for years in rural areas and this is the problem."

draytondave/ Weather Watchers Rural road covered in snow with vehicle tracks and field sloping down to the right. Snow-covered hills are in the background.draytondave/ Weather Watchers
In Llandrillo, Denbighshire, icy and snowy surfaces made for challenging driving conditions on rural roads

The calls come as snow and icy conditions forced about 80 schools to close across Wales on Thursday and a new warning of ice was issued.

More than half of the school closures were in Conwy county, but some schools in Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd and Powys also stayed shut.

The Met Office has put out two further yellow weather warnings for ice across parts of Wales on Friday.

The first warning is in place from 16:00 GMT on Thursday until 10:00 on Friday and covers most of Wales.

The second warning is in place from 03:00 until 11:00 on Friday and covers Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen and Vale of Glamorgan.

Tywysog y Tywydd/Weather Watchers Road in residential area covered in thin layer of snow and ice with cars and van parked along the roadTywysog y Tywydd/Weather Watchers
Roads were treacherous in Penrhyn Bay, Conwy, on Thursday morning

The Met Office warned that scattered wintry showers may lead to some icy patches and travel disruption.

It added that rain, sleet and patchy snow falling onto frozen ground could lead to icy patches on untreated surfaces.

People are being warned that there could be dangerous road conditions and to plan extra time for making necessary journeys - leaving the house at least five minutes earlier than normal and sticking to main roads, more likely to be treated, where possible.

The Met Office added that people should "be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly" and recommended checking what is forecast locally on a regular basis.

National Rail has advised passengers to check before they travel, as ice and snow can mean speed restrictions and line closures.

Transport for Wales has said "some parts" of the rail network are closed following damage to the track due to weather conditions.

Buses are also replacing trains between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog until Monday.