GRITTERS could be back at work on miles of roads in York this winter, as the council looks at reinstating scores onto routes.

Senior councillors are considering putting 43km of roads back onto gritting routes, and are poised to spend £36,500 of contingency funding on the plan.

The City of York Council's ruling executive will use its first public meeting of 2017 to consider a plan to reinstate primary winter gritting routes which had been dropped by the previous Labour administration.

The 81 roads to be reinstated on the gritted routes were removed in late 2013.

They include Melrosegate, Tang Hall Lane, Chaloners Road, Bootham Terrace, Kettlestring Lane, Rawcliffe Drive, Kingsway West, Rawcliffe Bar P&R access and Fulford Cross.

The Conservative leader of the council David Carr said they had listened to people in York about their concerns. “We have had representations from a number of councillors and local residents concerned about these routes having been removed from the council’s gritting programme, who told us that, left un-gritted, these routes were accident black spots waiting to happen even during the milder winters we’ve recently experienced," he said.

"Rather than make piecemeal decisions about each route we decided, looking at the cost, that it was worth restoring all of these roads to our gritting list for the safety of our residents."

The proposal is being added to the council's forward plan on December 28, so it can be considered by executive members at a meeting on January 26.

If they rubber-stamp the plan it will take effect from February, and will take gritting up to pre-2013 level and see 384km treated in icy weather.

York Press:

The council's Lib Dem deputy leader Keith Aspden said his group had campaigned against the cuts when they were made, to make sure important bus routes were kept safe.

He added: "I am very pleased that we will be able to secure funding for gritting routes to be reinstated to the winter gritting schedule across the city. When the Labour administration cut gritting routes, we campaigned with local communities in order to ensure that everybody could travel safely, including on important local bus routes."

The full list of roads to be reinstated on gritting routes

Bishopthorpe: Acaster Lane, Copmanthorpe Lane, Hauling Lane, Lamplugh Crescent. Part road: Acaster Malbis to Keble Park South.

Clifton: Bootham Terrace, Brompton Road, The Avenue, Westminster Road.

Derwent: Holtby Lane.

Dringhouses & Woodthorpe: Chaloners Road, Leeside, Lycett Road, Middlethorpe Drive, Middlethorpe Grove, West Thorpe. Part road: Eason View to Moor Lane.

Fishergate: Fulford Cross.

Guildhall: Navigation Road.

Haxby & Wigginton: Crossmoor Lane, Eastfield Avenue, Greenshaw Drive, Haxby Moor Road, Moor Lane, Oaken Grove, Usher Lane, West Nooks, Westfield Lane, Westfield Road, Wheatfield Lane. Part roads: Wheatfield Lane to Oak Tree Lane; Usher Lane to bridge; Walmer Carr to Green Dike.

Heslington: Kimberlow Lane, Low Lane, Main Street, School Lane, Windmill Lane.

Heworth: Barfield Road, Fifth Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Harcourt Street, Mill Lane, Monkton Road, Sefton Avenue. Part roads: Fourth Avenue to Melrosegate; Tang Hall Lane to end; Melrosegate to Tang Hall Lane; Elmfield Avenue to Barfield Road.

Heworth Without: Algarth Road, Applecroft Road, Straylands Grove, Woodlands Grove. Part road: Whitby Avenue to Ashley Park Road.

Holgate: Glebe Avenue, Malvern Avenue.

Hull Road: Crossways, Deramore Drive, Eastfield Crescent, Sussex Road, Windmill Lane, Yarburgh Way.

Huntington & New Earswick: Brockfield Park Drive, Brockfield Road, North Lane.

Rural West York: Atterwith Lane, Bland Lane, Great North Way, Horseman Drive, White Rose Way.

Skelton, Rawcliffe & Clifton Without: Audax Road, Kettlestring Lane, Moor Lane, Moorlands Road, Oakdale Road, Rawcliffe Bar P&R access, Rawcliffe Drive, Stirling Road, The Village. Part road: Rivelin Way to Clifton Moorgate; A1237 rbt to bus turn round; Brecksfields to Moorlands Road.

Strensall: Flaxton Road, Haxby Moor Road, Holtby Lane, Lords Moor Lane. Part road: Usher Lane to bridge.

Westfield: Ascot Way, Ashford Place, Danesfort Avenue, Green Lane, Kingsway West, St Stephens Road, Stuart Road, Windsor Garth.