I would like to assure Mr Robb (Gritting list, Letters, January 2) that the council has a wealth of information relating to the gritting of roads and footpaths carried out since it first snowed on December 17, far too much to put in a letter.

All the gritting lorries are fitted with a system that shows the route taken, where the vehicle was at any given time and the rate the salt was spread. Each vehicle can therefore be loaded with the amount of salt needed. Failure to complete its route would be obvious, as the lorry would still contain salt when it returned.

We have two mechanical vehicles to treat footpaths, as well as push-along spreaders. Staff are timed in and out of the depot and if someone returned early it would soon be noted. The council’s website has information on the winter maintenance policy, including the defined map which lists all the roads and footpaths that are treated, along with a map of the self-help salt bins.

Officers use specialist weather forecasting to decide when and where to grit, meaning staff have been out treating all the pavements on the defined list at 5am for most of the festive period. On some days they have also been out again at 5pm. The lorries have been out every day, sometimes two or three times, to keep roads open.

Between Christmas and New Year we also treated roads and footpaths in suburban areas, concentrating on post offices and old people’s homes and ensuring areas around schools were treated before Monday. The salt bins have been refilled three times and the cycle routes treated twice.

I can assure Mr Robb there has been no “dereliction of duty” by council staff, many of whom gave up part of their Christmas break and worked through the night to keep the city’s roads open.

They have worked unceasingly since December 17 and I would like to publicly thank them for all they have done.

Coun Ann Reid, Executive member for neighbourhood services, City of York Council, Grassholme, York.