THE big freeze could leave a multi-million pound bill for road repairs, taxpayers were warned yesterday, as the Government demanded further cuts in gritting.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis announced that gritting must be cut to as little as half the levels of this time last week to conserve stocks for further wintry weather.

The announcement came as local councils said ice had caused a higher than usual number of potholes, with some estimating repair bills running into millions.

Lord Adonis said the gritting reductions must be made to give “a firm assurance” that essential roads can be kept open for the rest of the winter.

“It is essential that a sustainable salt allocation regime, to keep these essential roads open, is put in place now.

“If we did not act decisively, reserves would run down fast and essential roads would be at risk of closure if the freeze continues.”

Lord Adonis said he had directed the Highways Agency to conserve “the maximum possible salt usage each day”, while maintaining the safe operation of the national motorway and trunk road network, and the Agency said “significantly more” could be saved, in addition to the 25% agreed on Friday.

Local authorities will also need to prioritise so they can spread less salt, which Lord Adonis said “will be challenging for some” but essential to prevent other areas running out completely.

“In aggregate, these measures will need to conserve between 40% and 50% compared to the levels of usage before Friday’s announcement,” he said.

“On this basis, we expect salt supplies to be sustainable throughout the period of snow and extreme cold weather.”