A DO-it-yourself road-gritting scheme has been put on hold in Ledbury.

This is because the town council has been told by Herefordshire Council that, even if it purchases the 33 extra bins it had in mind, it must fill them up too: also at the town council's expense.

Only the first fill-up will come free, which is not what the town council expected, when it proposed the scheme in March.

Discussions are still underway between the town council, which offered to buy extra bins because of the recent severe winter, and the Highways Authority, Herefordshire Council.

But some councillors have robust views over what they see as a breach of a promise.

The idea was that the extra grit bins could be used by local residents to make paths safer to walk on, during wintry conditions.

Cllr Tony Bradford, chairman of the town's environment and leisure committee, said last month, when the story broke: "I asked them, if we supply the grit bins, could they supply the grit, and they said yes".

Cllr Bradford is standing by his account.

Cllr Annette Crowe called the developing situation "totally unacceptable" and she added: "I don't see why we should fill the new bins up."

Cllr Bob Barnes, chairman of the town's finance and general purposes committee said he had heard that Herefordshire Council had "changed its mind".

He added: "Pressures on budgets affect everyone.

"We can have what we want, so long as we pay for it!"

Ledbury Town Council was considering buying the 33 extra bins over a period of three years, mainly for residential areas in Ledbury; but now the decision to buy has been deferred, until the issue is sorted out.

A Herefordshire Council spokesman said this week: "When parishes choose to place additional grit bins, these must be purchased and refilled by the parish.

"The first grit fill is included with the purchase of the bin.”