Axminster Town Council calls for grit bins to keep East Devon’s biggest housing estate on the move when icy weather comes

Urgent action has been called for to prevent parts of East Devon’s largest housing estate from becoming a dangerous ice rink when the weather turns cold.

Axminster Town Council wants the highways authority to provide grit bins for roads leading to Millwey Rise before winter sets in.

Ward councillor Ian Hall said they were desperately needed at the entrance to First Avenue, near to where the BT phone box used to be, and at Second Avenue, leading to the industrial estate.

Currently Beavor Lane was the only access route to the huge estate that had one.

“It is one of the biggest residential populations in East Devon yet people are not able to get in and out.

“We need to get these people to work so they can earn money and pay their taxes,” he said.

Mayor Andrew Moulding said the problem was that Devon County Council would not install any new grit bins unless the town council provided the cash.

“So no funds, no grit bins,” he said. “But our precept is coming up so if you want to include them in the budget, please do so.

“It is not just supplying the bins, though, it is servicing them as well, of course.”

Cllr Brian Watson reminded members that their winter snow warden, Cllr John Jeffery, now had a salt spreader and would visit the area when requested.

“Give him a ring and he will be up there straight away,” added Cllr Moulding.

Cllr Hall said, in the meantime, he would make his house at Cawley Avenue available to store grit bags so people could go there to collect some when icy weather strikes.

The council will also write to the highways authority asking it to reconsider its grit bin policy and make Millwey Rise a special case, in view of the number of people needing to get access to the large housing estate.