Gritting bosses have pledged to keep city and town centres ice-free for shoppers this weekend.

With freezing temperatures predicted, Bradford Council is bracing itself for a busy couple of days.

Councillor Dave Green said: “Our teams of gritters will be out on the roads and pavements and we will be doing our best to ensure vehicles and pedestrians will be able to go about their business on the last weekend before Christmas.

“Many services will be working hard to keep the businesses of Bradford, Keighley, Bingley, Ilkley and Shipley fully accessible for shoppers.”

Val Summerscales, of Bradford Chamber of Trade, said: “We hope the Council will keep its word, we would be delighted.

“It’s crucial people can get to where they want to be. The snow will have had an impact, the way it was and the way it lingered. We’re hoping this weekend will be clearer.”

Bradford Council began the season well stocked with 26,000 tonnes of salt and so far 6,000 tonnes have been used to ensure the safety of the district’s citizens on roads and pavements.

Ian Bairstow, Bradford Council’s strategic director for the environment, said: “In the current circumstances, it is difficult to get more salt from the national supply and our decision to start the season with increased stocks means we are in a much better position than many other authorities.

“However, it takes much more salt to deal with snow and ice than it does to deal with frost and when temperatures fall below minus five degrees Centigrade, which is predicted, the effectiveness of the road salt is much reduced and travellers should bear this in mind.”