Sand trucks could be hit this winter by the driver shortage, the councils have warned, potentially leaving many UK roads covered in dangerous snow and ice.

Some local councils have struggled to collect trash in recent weeks due to a lack of truck drivers, and there are fears that sand pits, which spread salt to secure roads in freezing or snowy weather, will be the next service. affected.

The problems will worsen if drivers are drawn to work in the private sector, with companies offering high wages and signing fees to deal with their own shortage of heavy truck drivers, the Local Government Association has said.

David Renard, LGA transport spokesperson, who represents the councils of England and Wales, said the public sector was proactive planning but struggled to compete.

He said: “While most councils have been able to keep services running, some may find that their sandblasting services are affected in the same way that some have seen waste collection services affected. .

“Boards are keen to work with government and partners to support more training for these areas of demand, but this is a long process and does not alleviate short-term pressures on frontline services. .

“The rapid inflation of wages for heavy truck drivers in the private sector risks exacerbating problems in the public sector, with increases potentially creating retention as well as a recruitment problem for boards and their contractors.”

Larger roads need to be cleared, as National Highways said it had about 1,300 specially trained chip chip drivers and 120 new chip chip drivers this winter, with a total of 535 chip chip sets available around the highway and road network.

The wider driver shortage, which has led to empty shelves, missed deliveries and panic-driven fuel purchases, is now also affecting bus services, according to the RMT. The union warned that poorly paid drivers were now looking for work elsewhere.

General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “For years, bus workers have been underpaid and undervalued and the exodus of workers from the industry was a looming crisis and will have a devastating impact on vital services.

“We now risk a serious escalation in transport poverty with those without a car in areas where buses are the only option left behind. “