9 June 2009, London, UK: The Highways Term Maintenance Association (HTMA) have contributed towards a report to parliament on the lessons for winter service by highlighting how they continued to deliver services and coped with the unprecedented demand on salt treatments, during the severe weather at the start of this year.

The HTMA was asked for feedback after the DfT promised the report to parliament. The UK Roads Liaison Group is now responsible for delivering the review with Atkins being commissioned to prepare a report and the Highways Efficiency Liaison Group (HELG) Chairman, Mike Bordiss, acting as independent project leader.

The review, due to report by July, was launched to focus on a range of issues, including resilience of salt supplies, salt stock levels, mutual aid between authorities, the temporary clearing house arrangements, which prioritised salt supply in February, plus local practices and communications.

HTMA Chairman Mike Notman said: “Our members are responsible for maintaining over 75% of the highway network in Great Britain during the winter and had to put extra measures in place to continue delivering their vital services during the severe weather, which saw unprecedented levels of demand for salt treatments.

“We are delighted to have been asked to contribute to this important report and to be given the opportunity to provide our feedback.”

To help Atkins compile the report, HTMA members have provided details of special measures they put in place to support service delivery through private sector arrangements and their views on ways in which winter service and its resilience in severe conditions could be improved.

One HTMA member noted that October 2008 to mid February 2009 saw long protracted periods of cold weather with a much higher number of precautionary treatments than in recent years, which resulted in them using 38,000 tonnes of salt during the winter compared to 26,000 tonnes the previous year.

They also highlighted that their salt supplier reported an unprecendented demand for salt through December, January and February, with the level of salt supplied at more than twice the normal level in both December and February.

Mike Bordiss, chair of HELG, said: “I would like to thank the HTMA members who contributed towards the report. It has been useful to have industry views on the issues in relation to how services were delivered last winter.”

The HTMA members are: Amey, Atkins, Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services, BAM Nuttall, BEAR, Carillion, Colas, Enterprise, Fitzpatrick, Halcrow, Hyder, Jacobs, May Gurney, Morrison, Mott MacDonald, Mouchel, Ringway, Scott Wilson, Skanska McNicholas, and WSP.

Issued on behalf of the HTMA Press Office by Andrew Slater. For enquiries from the media, journalists and researchers only, the HTMA Press Office can be contacted on +44 (0) 1782 443080, +44 (0) 7917 638336 or e-mail: htmapressoffice@theprfirm.co.uk