Road gritting impacted by industrial action while weather warning in place
Drivers are being warned to take extra care
Drivers in Northern Ireland are being warned to take extra care this morning, with road gritting services disrupted by industrial action.
A yellow warning for ice and snow is in place until around 10am.
The MET Office is warning there could be icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements, and cycle paths.
A statement from the Department for Infrastructure said, “The DfI has urged road users to be extra careful on the roads this week as a period of cold weather arrives and industrial action by members of the GMB and Unite unions continues.”
“The Department’s delivery of Winter Service (gritting of the road network) will be disrupted this week as there are insufficient staff available to run both an am and pm gritting rota.”
“A precautionary grit of higher ground routes, most at risk, has taken place this afternoon. Gritting of the scheduled network is to take place overnight. Road users are asked to exercise extreme caution when driving, particularly on untreated roads.”
The DBFO network, which includes most Motorways, the A1 and the A4, is not affected by industrial action.
The scheduled gritting network includes 107 routes comprising of 7,000km of road
The Department also said “In addition to Winter Service, other essential services which are routinely delivered by DfI staff on the road network may also be disrupted. This includes:
• Response and clear-up operation when there are incidents on the road such as oil spills or unexpected debris
• Repair of serious defects such as manhole collapse or potholes
• Gully clearing and cleansing
“The Department continues to work with the Department of Finance and the unions involved to try and resolve the issues around pay”.
"Members of the public should continue to report defects on the road network using nidirect."
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