TELEPHONE lines at the council house in Bromsgrove were red hot when scores of residents lost their cool and rang in to complain during last week's big freeze up.

Many, whose roads remained untreated for close on a week, or who slipped and slid on the miles of treacherous paths, believed the council had got its priorities wrong by ordering that car parks, including its own in Burcot Lane, should be gritted first.

Traders and pedestrians complained that busy areas in Church Street and around the bus station, and the bridge over the Spadesbourne in Market Street were hazardous, especially for old folk.

But the leader of the district council Cllr Nick Psirides (Con, Norton) was quick to point out that nowadays the gritting of all highways and paths is the county council's responsibility while car parks remain theirs.

Jon Fraser, boss of the county council led Highways Partnership in Bromsgrove - which is responsible for all aspects of traffic matters in the district, said the post Christmas freeze had put an "enormous strain" on county staff and gritting contractors. "Our office has been inundated by calls," he said.

Four vehicles had been in constant use from depots at Lydiate Ash and Alvechurch.

He explained the county operates a priority gritting list, dealing first with the strategic network followed by all other A and B roads and finally important C class and unclassified routes.

After treatment of priority routes, roads on which there are steep hills, bus routes and schools are gritted.

He went on to say the problems had been made worse by the continuous sub-zero temperatures which had not allowed snow and ice to melt, and had made compacted snow difficult to shift.

All areas from where a complaint had been made were eventually treated, he added.

Dozens of minor traffic accidents were reported and at least two people received hospital treatment after slipping on ice.