A ROYSTON councillor has been getting down to the nitty-gritty – and keeping residents safe by doing so.

Cllr Peter Burt, North Herts Distcit Council (NHDC) portfolio holder for waste, recycling and environment has been testing out the authority’s new gritting machine this week, which is to make spreading salt easier and more economical.

Cllr Burt, who is also a councillor for Royston Heath ward, said: “In these freezing conditions we have been able to help residents by assigning our street cleaning teams to keep pavements and other areas free of ice, focusing our efforts on the town centre.

“Mindful of the increasing pressure on salt reserves, this new grit spreader enables us to do that more efficiently and allows us to reach more areas than we have in the past.”

The new grit spreader saves the amount of salt used by spreading it more evenly and it makes it easier to grit smaller areas such as footpaths and pavements.