Farmers hailed as 'unsung heroes'

4 January 2013

Although the winter so far has been more wet than cold, across Kent there is an army of more than 160 farmers who can be called on night or day to clear the county’s rural routes when and if the snow does arrive. 

Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, Bryan Sweetland, said:

“We clear about half of our road network. We don’t do all the roads – just Kent’s key routes – and most people know that.

“What people don’t know about, though, is the team of farmers who turn out whatever the weather – and it’s generally during the early hours of  the morning, before anyone else is around – to clear our important back roads and rural routes.

“These farmers do a tremendous job and in difficult times they can prove a lifeline for rural residents. In many ways they are the unsung heroes of Kent in winter, often stopping to help people who shouldn’t have gone out for a drive or weren’t properly prepared.

“We are prepared for the winter – and we hope residents will be careful if snow hits, really asking whether they need to make their journey.”

Farmer Andrew Brealy, whose family has been turning out to clear the roads around Herne since the 1970’s, said:

“It’s critical that we go out in the early hours of the morning now because there’s so much traffic that perhaps goes out inappropriately. Rather than asking, ‘is this journey really necessary?’ they might try to get to work or take the kids to school. So we have issues with people getting stuck, blocking the roads, and our snow ploughs not being able to get through especially on narrow roads."

James Whitbread, who clears roads around Tonbridge, said:

“All the farmers in the area tend to know each other, so we stay in contact, trying to make sure we get it all done and help each other if anyone is struggling. Once our route is done, we’ll call the council to see if we are required to go further.

“It's one of those jobs that is great fun at first but it tends to wear off after a few hours! The general public are pleased to see the work we’ve done, that the roads have been cleared of snow. At last farmers are seen as nice people, helping to get others moving, rather than drivers of slow tractors on the road.”

For more information on Kent’s winter preparations, including salting routes, where to find local salt bins and details of how to sign up for school closure alerts, please visit: www.kent.gov.uk/winter