SO Bradford Council claims it has a new risk-based approach to gritting, but all I have seen so far is more of the same casual attitude to the needs of those of us who live on steep hills.

To any normal person, a risk-based approach would mean concentrating on roads with a history of frequent accidents on icy slopes, but no sign of that on Thwaites Brow Road on Thursday.

There was no evidence that the bus route had even been gritted and by the time the council made its usual response to problems on the cobbled section (which is to put up a ‘road closed’ sign), half a dozen cars had been damaged and the road was blocked by the damaged cars.

The cost of repairing those vehicles will be more than the council would have expended had it gritted the whole of Thwaites Brow Road for the whole of the winter but the council doesn’t care.

That cost is met by the insurance companies and ultimately by motorists in general in their increased insurance premiums.

ROGER CHAPMAN Thwaites Brow Road, Keighley

* A Bradford Council spokesman said: “We advise drivers to be very cautious in icy conditions. Even gritted roads can become slippery if the salt is washed away or overwhelmed by snow.

“Steep cobbled roads have very poor grip generally and it’s not always safe to treat them. The uneven surface of cobbles makes the grit less effective as it is channelled away from the tyres’ contact areas.

“Most of Thwaites Brow Road is gritted and drivers can avoid the steep cobbled section by using Long Lee and Park lanes which are also treated.

“Our gritting teams are on call 24/7 and are often out treating the district’s roads in the early hours. For a variety of reasons, it is impractical to treat every single road and we advise motorists to take care when driving in very cold conditions.”