PARISH councils in the Yorkshire Dales have been notified they may lose some grit bins this winter unless they pay for them.

North Yorkshire County Council has reviewed grit bins and grit heaps in Richmondshire to decide which should remain, as the authority continues to find ways of saving tens of millions of pounds.

Under the review, each bin is assessed according to the gradient or severity of bend in the road, traffic levels and pedestrian use and whether the area is already a priority road gritting route.

Any bin receiving a score of less than 100 will be removed unless the parish council agrees to pay for the provision.

A letter sent to parish councils state they will be charged £50 for the bin and a £75 annual charge for grit and have 28 days to agree to it - although North Yorkshire County Council has said parish councils may take longer to decide if needed.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire County Council said the authority had carried out a recent review of grit provision in Richmondshire, but the assessment system had been in use for a number of years.

“The criteria is tried and tested, based on assessments used elsewhere and is based on things like traffic usage," said a spokesperson.

“If parish councils feel it’s something they need to explore further and need more time, then they can let us know.”

But North Yorkshire County Councillor for the Upper Dales, John Blackie, said many of the grit bins are to be removed because they are on a priority one gritting route. While they valued that service, the Upper Dales suffered extreme and quickly changeable weather.

Cllr Blackie added the upper dales communities already had a spirit of self-reliance, but needed some provision.

“Our council taxes are higher than average in the Upper Dales because of the additional value placed on properties within a national park, and our deeply rural and sparsely populated communities do not expect all the services those in more populated areas have on their doorstep and often take for granted,” he said.

“This is not to say that we should be deprived of the fundamental services necessary to keep us going about our day-to-day business, such as the grit bins proposed to be removed in these lists from the Upper Dales, especially as through our council tax we appear to be already paying over the odds for services we are no longer to receive.”

One road where a grit bin will be removed unless paid for includes Turfy Hill at Hawes, where 25 years ago a 40-tonne lorry carrying stone careered out of control, seriously injuring eight people in the Market Place.

Other grit bins which have failed to score 100 include the hill near the emergency ambulance station at Bainbridge, one near a sheltered housing complex and GP surgery in Reeth and bins outside Hawes, Askrigg and West Burton primary schools.