A COUNCILLOR hopes to enlist a volunteer winter army to ensure key footpaths in Richmond are gritted when frosty weather is forecast.

At a recent full meeting of Richmond Town Council, Cllr Linda Curran asked councillors to look at gathering dedicated volunteers to monitor the weather during winter months and grit pavements leading to schools and doctors' surgeries.

She said she hoped to inspire the council to get behind the plan, which she believes could prevent accidents and injuries that happen each year.

Cllr Curran said: “Richmondshire District Council has got ten hand-push gritters, and the town council got one to treat the path outside the town hall to the market hall, and around the market place.

“The town council hasn’t got the staff to go around the whole town – but maybe we can get more of them, enlist volunteers acting on behalf of the council and get them to keep them in their garages.”

She added that she knew of many people who had fallen on the ice around the town and broken bones – and added that she hoped to especially help elderly people trying to get to doctors' surgeries.

Town clerk Heather Lawler warned councillors that once a precedent had been set by the volunteers, any occasion the gritting was not done could leave the council open to criticism.

She said: “The main problem is if we have volunteers under our umbrella our insurance will cover them – we will train them and have them monitoring the weather.

“Once you set a precedent you have to carry on – at the point you don’t grit you can be blamed for a fall.

“We would be responsible for letting people know the gritting wouldn’t be done – however if there’s a grit bin we have no liability.”

Cllr Amanda Adams said she was concerned it would be a massive project, and the council would have to make sure people use the designated routes and that were was enough grit.

But Cllr Curran said the power of volunteering in Richmond should not be underestimated.

“The people in this area are fantastic volunteers and will do anything to help their community.”

Cllrs Curran, Parsons and Lord agreed to start working on gathering a volunteer group in time for next winter.