THE thaw has started but it is likely to bring flooding and ice to Hertfordshire s roads and pavements. That s the warning from the county council which is advising people to be very careful if they are out and about in the next few days. Stuart Pile, the

THE thaw has started but it is likely to bring flooding and ice to Hertfordshire's roads and pavements.

That's the warning from the county council which is advising people to be very careful if they are out and about in the next few days.

Stuart Pile, the council's executive member for highways and transport, said: "We're not out of the woods yet. We're concerned that low temperatures overnight will lead to exceptionally icy conditions on roads and pavements.

"Following guidance from central government, we can only salt a reduced network of roads (all A and B roads plus roads that provide access to essential emergency services like hospitals and key fire stations). We'll continue our salting runs over the weekend and will try to time these carefully so that salt doesn't get washed away by the rain yet is on the roads before temperatures drop too far.

"Our district colleagues continue to help us keep pavements in priority areas, such as town centres, clear and we have begun to refill salt bins. We expect that we will be able to fill 90 per cent of salt bins by the end of Friday."

Hertfordshire Highways received a delivery of salt for use on the roads yesterday (Wednesday). This means it currently has enough for around six salting runs, and it is expected to last into next week.

Cllr Pile continued: "Road and pavement conditions in the next few days are likely to be hazardous, with localised flooding creating more problems. The forecast combined with the national salt situation means that we're all dealing with exceptionally difficult conditions.