A ‘community gritting’ service has been set up by two public-spirited maintenance workers during icy weather.
Howard Heffernan and Dan Dickinson have spent the past week tirelessly filling grit bins, clearing the steps and drives of elderly and disabled people and assisting drivers in the towns of Bury, Ramsbottom and Radcliffe.
Howard, 32, said the pair had created ‘a one-stop community hotline’ to assist with dangerous ice and snow conditions in the area. Howard and Dan, who work for Heffernan Services, a property maintenance and landscaping firm based in Topping Fold, have also made a a school playground usable and helped with broken down vehicles.
Bury Council said they could not set time-scales to replenish the borough’s 324 grit bins as ‘this work is carried out when other statutory work has been completed’. It is understood the council’s priority has been to regularly grit major road routes during the cold spell.
The council said at present ‘we currently do not have sufficient resources to maintain grit bins’. Howard, said: “We knew we had the skills and resources to make a difference, so we decided to act.
“At the moment we’re dealing with any request we get, whether that’s filling grit bins or attending to a stuck van. “Anything we get a request for we’ll try and fulfil.
“We’ve got a list of some disabled and elderly people who needed a little help. “We’ve been out this morning to a lady who has steps straight out of her door which were full of ice so we kept on top of that.
Dan tops up a grit bin
“That was requested from the girl who live across the road from her. The grit bins aren’t being stocked up, the council don’t haven’t the manpower to do it so, we’ve dropped some off this morning in Ramsbottom town centre.
“We left a giant pile of grit outside Ramsbottom community church and at the top of Carr Street near the urn. If one person from every business comes and does outside their business and a little bit either side then that should be the town centre done.”
Howard said he had done some gritting ‘for few people here and there’ for a couple years. But things took off earlier this this week when he posted a video helping make the road safer on Rochdale Road near Fairfield Hospital.
He added: “The video racked up 279,000 views and we started getting more and more requests.” The pair have received donations to buy materials and equipment for which they immediately post pictures of receipts.
Howard said building suppliers Beesley and Fildes and Travis Perkins, both in Radcliffe, had been extremely generous in giving discounts to help the pair’s endeavours.