News

SKID ROW IN HAWKINGE

Hawkinge residents have once again been let down by local Government after gritting lorries apparently bypassed the village following snowfalls on Tuesday.

Jennie Carter, Head Teacher at the Churchill School in Haven Drive, said on Wednesday morning: "Once again the road outside the school is a sheet of ice after gritting lorries have failed to put in an appearance.

"I've contacted Shepway Council about the situation but they said it was down to Kent County Council as it decides which roads should be gritted.

"it's not just Haven Drive either: Aerodrome Road has also been missed out and that's the main school bus route.

"How do they expect children to get to school safely in these conditions? The snow was predicted and expected and not particularly heavy but still the county appears to have been unprepared."

Mrs Carter got onto Shepway Council chairman Peter Smith, who is also a Governor at the school, to see if anything could be done to remedy the situation.

Chairman of Hawkinge Parish Council. David Callahan, said: "The roads were already in a treacherous state last night (Tuesday) and I was unable to get to a meeting.

"This morning the whole village appears to be like an ice rink. I will be chasing this up to find out why the roads were not gritted.

"As far as I'm aware Shepway Council IS responsible for gritting the roads through their sub-contractors Streetscene."

But according to Cllr Smith the ultimate responsibility lies with the County Council. He said: "I've been in touch and it's not just Hawkinge that's been missed out but other parts of the county too.

"The official excuse, as far as I can tell, is that they've run out of grit which is a bit ironic considering that the pressure's on to build more houses and more roads in this area.

"If the county doesn't have enough grit now to cope with one little snow flurry how on earth will it manage when all these new houses are built that the Government is demanding?"

Residents also expressed their disgust at the slow response to the cold weather, which had been predicted by forecasters. One villager, who managed to make it to the local shops, said: "I just can't understand it - one little bit of snow and everything grinds to a halt."