A COUNCILLOR has branded proposals to cut the number of roads gritted this winter as "madness".

Councillor Alex Watson, leader of Derwentside District Council, was due to start last-ditch talks with highways chiefs at Durham County Council today in a bid to prevent the cuts.

The Northern Echo revealed last week that the county council has reduced its highways winter maintenance budget by £400,000, meaning fewer roads will be gritted.

Derwentside is about 800ft above sea level and often experiences severe winters.

Coun Watson said Derwentside's high altitude meant it should be treated as a special case. If cuts went ahead, he said he feared a dramatic reduction in road gritting could lead to isolated communities being unable to reach vital services such as schools and hospitals.

"This is madness," he said. "The roads to be cut include bus routes and roads to industrial estates.

"It is going to be a disaster for school children and business. In the main, the routes to be cut are in the poorer areas, areas of low car ownership," he said.

"They are dependent on public transport and they are the ones who will suffer."

Opposition leader and independent councillor Bill Stockdale said he feared the cutbacks could make it unsafe for people trying to reach the nearest accident and emergency department at the University Hospital of North Durham.

"We have all got to travel to the University Hospital for emergencies and it is going to be much more dangerous and difficult for some of us to get there," he said.

A spokesman for Durham County Council defended the authority's reduction in road gritting.

"We have always done more than most other highways authorities," he said.

"Even at the reduced level, it is still going to be better than most other authorities.

"We won't be reducing the level of snow clearance. We would always warn motorists to drive with extreme caution at that time of year, and perhaps even more so this winter."