HEAVY snowfall during Tuesday night left the roads slippery and had residents asking whether they had been gritted. Angry Hindhead resident Andrew Perrin called The Herald to say he was "surprised" to find the roads had not been done through to Haslemere. Mr Perrin left home at around 6 am to catch a train from Haslemere, and he said the journey took around 10 minutes longer than usual because of the snow. He fumed: "It was no surprise that it snowed last night, it had been forecast, but it was a surprise to find the roads had not been salted. "This is a main road to and from Haslemere, so why hasn't it been salted? Surely the council are sensible enough to watch the forecasts and be prepared? "I am disappointed after the amount of money the council takes from me each month, and they can't even do the roads. "I moved from Headley Down, and any sign of snow there and they would send out the gritters. It is such a contrast in the standard of services." Surrey County Council had switched its main number to a taped message due to the flood of enquiries about the roads. The tape assured residents that major roads and hospital routes were the priority, and minor roads would be dealt with once these were taken care of. It also said that the use of pre-wetted, white salt may give the impression roads had not been gritted when they had. A statement from the council confirmed roads had been gritted at 7 pm on Tuesday, and again in the early hours of Wednesday. It added that gritting would continue throughout Wednes-day, as the temperature was set to drop again. The council also said that a salt solution was being used rather than traditional grit because, while it takes time to mix in with the snow, it has a better effect and makes less of an impact on the environment. West Sussex County Council also confirmed it had been gritting the roads from 7 pm on Tuesday. A spokesman added that the snow was not deep enough to warrant using snow ploughs, and that pedestrian and shopping areas had been salted on Wednesday. Right: Whiteout: Hindhead on Wednesday morning. (HD04718-07)
Below: Snow joke: a quirky snowman at The Mill Tavern. (HD04-81-07)