Somerset residents worry lives are at risk from a lack of gritting

Somerset County Council have reduced their gritting network by 180 miles this winter Credit: ITV West Country

People living in Somerset have warned there will be more car crashes this winter because council cuts mean fewer roads will be being gritted.

The County Council says it's no longer regularly gritting 180 miles of the county to make vital savings in its budget.

However residents near Illminster who live on a road where grittign has been cut say they are seeing a number of crashes outside their home: once as many as 15 on a single icy day.

Andrew Bradbury believes people's lives are going to be at risk with it being taken away from the gritted routes.

The blue routes show the proposed roads that will not be gritted this winter Credit: Somerset County Council

Over on Exmoor some businesses are taking gritting into their own hands.

Tarr Farm Inn and Liscombe Farm have bought a vehicle which spreads grit on the narrow public road leading down from the main Dulverton and Exford road to the river Barle and Tarr Steps.The lane is unclassified and has never been gritted by the County Council.

Private gritting allows drivers to get to the National Trust car park, the farm and the pub/hotel car park at the bottom.

It also means the school bus can use the lane.