A PROJECT to set up a number of volunteer groups across the district to help out in wintry weather by clearing snow and gritting pavements has stalled with only two regular teams now in existence.

Bradford Council began a pilot scheme in 2011 to introduce snow teams to help out within communities. The teams would be provided with snow shovels and rock salt. At the end of the pilot year the council reported that there had been 110 inquiries and that a total of 63 teams were signed up - the vast majority of them in the Shipley area.

But now the number has dwindled to two – one in Shipley and one in Bowling.

A spokesman for the Council said: “The project to set up teams of snow team volunteers to clear the snow from and grit local pavements and other areas near their homes has not attracted a great deal of support around the district.“We have a team in Shipley and a team in Bowling but there are no others at the moment. One of the chief difficulties is that once the snow has thawed, would-be volunteers tend to lose their enthusiasm.”

“The situation in Bradford for this project is reflected in other local authorities who have tried to introduce it. Some have abandoned the idea altogether.”

In addition, the Council confirmed that as of Wednesday it had spread 9,000 tonnes of rock salt on the district’s roads so far this winter.