Councils did a poor job in keeping minor roads open during the recent wintry weather, a poll of 20,000 AA members revealed today.

But Shropshire Council which is responsible for maintaining one of the biggest rural road network’s in the country – about 5,100 kilometres – has strongly defended its record. As many as 75 per cent of AA members reckoned local highway authorities had not done very well or not performed at all well in gritting minor roads this winter.

Just two per cent thought councils had done very well in coping with the ice and snow, the AA/Populus survey showed.

Councils’ efforts on local main roads got a less frosty reception from the AA members.

A total of 81 per cent of those surveyed said the treatment of these roads was acceptable or carried out reasonably well or very well.

But 86 per cent of those polled were critical in some way of local councils’ clearing of ice and snow from pavements, with 65 per cent saying that the efforts were “no good at all”.

Paul Smart, contracts and programme manager with Shropshire Council, which is also responsible for about 1,200 kilometres of paths and cycleways, said: “Our officers and contractors Enterprise worked tirelessly throughout the recent cold spell to keep the county moving.

“Despite the national salt shortage, we continued to grit our defined network which includes all of our A and B roads as well as other high risk routes. We also treated minor roads and filled salt bins as quickly as we could after they were reported to us.

“We also work with over 100 contractors, which include farmers, across the county to clear snow and ice on the more rural roads during the winter season.

“We appreciate people, particularly in rural areas, find icy conditions difficult,” he added.

“However, unfortunately we have a limited highways budget, and must use tax payers’ money as efficiently as possible.”

AA president Edmund King said: “It’s going to take some time before a thaw sets in between motorists and councils following this winter’s gritting failures.

“Despite the prolonged cold spell and salt rationing, we believe more could have been done to keep local roads and pavements safe in some areas.

“We must remember that failure to keep roads and pavements safe can have profound effects on the economy, the health service, insurance claims and general mobility.”