A DARLINGTON resident has complained after his car was splattered by a council gritter.

Brian Ellenor, 68, of The Broadway, off Yarm Road, said instead of grit being left on the road it had been sprayed over residents’ driveways and footpaths.

In some instances this was up to 14 feet away from the kerbside, he claimed.

The pensioner said the paintwork of his VW Passat parked on his land had been chipped.

He said the gritter, which was out overnight last weekend, must have malfunctioned, something denied by the council.

Mr Ellenor said: “I have lived here for 20 years and never had a problem like this before.

“It is a faulty machine and I want to see what they are going to do about it.

“There was no salt on the road, it was all on the drive and footpaths.”

He added: “It’s strange they were out in the gritter as it has been so mild recently.

“My car was spotless before the gritter came, I had only just finished cleaning and polishing it.”

Mr Ellenor, who rang the council to complain, said the grit spray included some quite large stones and he was worried that if these had hit a small child in the eye they could have been hurt.

According to the Darlington Borough Council website, roads are gritted whenever is necessary with rock salt used as a de-icing agent.

It says only “priority routes” are pre-salted to prevent ice forming.

A spokesman for Darlington Council said in a statement: “We are aware of Mr Ellenor’s concerns and can confirm The Broadway was gritted on Saturday evening.

“The vehicle was travelling at an appropriate speed and its equipment was recently calibrated to ensure rock salt is distributed at the correct angle.

“The salt has a maximum diameter of 10mm and has to pass through a sieving process. It is tested monthly and met all legal requirements.”