REDBRIDGE Council has not provided extra grit even in main roads and residents are being asked to buy their own, a mum has claimed.

Helen Duffett, a mum-of-four of St Barnabas Road, Woodford Green, fears snow and ice could soon cause accidents as not everyone will be able to afford to pay for their own grit.

She said: “I live on St Barnabas Road, which is a busy main road and we're snowed under.

“The real issue is that grit isn't readily available and I'm not talking about doing my drive; it's the pavements – they're an ice rink at the moment.”

Ms Duffett added that Redbridge Council's website does not have a information on where the nearest gritting bins are and that the nearest one she knows of is half a mile away.

She said: “I've been asking the council for a while now about where residents can get grit to clear the pavements.

“Islington and Sutton have information on their websites telling people where the bins are situated but on Redbridge's site, it says they can't supply grit and we have to buy our own.”

Islington Council's website states that all 350 of its grit bins have been stocked up so that members of the public can use them across the borough, while Sutton Council's site states its gritters are on the roads 24 hours a day, depositing up to 70 tonnes of grit a day.

Ms Duffett said she would be happy to put down grit herself to help clear the frozen pavements but is unable to do so because of the lack of supply.

And with weather set to worsen over the course of this week, she fears the situation could become dangerous.

She said: “The council are being really unhelpful when it comes to people who just want to help out in the community.”

Neighbours Edward Akpata and Martin McCarthy added they had not seen any grit bins in the area and felt the pavements were becoming dangerous.

Mr McCarthy, 70, said: "The pavements haven't been touched. My wife is disabled so we can't get out."

Mr Akpata, 35, an IT consultant, added: "I haven't bought my own grit yet but I might in future.

"It's dangerous - you have to be very careful."

Marian Morris, 58, came back from holiday in Spain, following a 13-hour delay, to find the pavement covered in sheet ice.

She said: "It wasn't good last time and it's not good at the moment either.

"There's a grit bin near South Woodford station but that's about it."

A council spokeswoman said: "St Barnabas Road is on our gritting route and the gritters have been gi ving the carriageway regular attention.

"Unfortunately we don't have the resources to clear all our footways of snow and ice but our contrac tor is providing assistance in busy shopping areas, and outside schools and stations.

"The grit bins located across the Borough are intended for use by our st reet cleansers so they can spread the grit on footways in the areas the y work.

"Some of theses these bins have been filled several times but we are finding that residents are taking the grit for their personal dr iveways or paths.

"Our salt stock is getting low, so we have to be very prudent with the u se of our existing stock to avoid running out should weather conditions persist."

Have you had problems with gritting? Contact the Guardian at chack@london.newsquest.co.uk or call 07768 507 739