IF you want more salt to cope with the winter you can buy it for £100 a tonne.

That’s the message from Oxfordshire County Council to parishes which want to stockpile salt.

Last night villagers and community leaders hit out at the plans – saying the county was trying to get out of its responsibility for the issue.

Some 317 parish councils have been told if they want extra bags of salt it will cost them £100 a tonne plus VAT. Previously, the council would refill bins at no charge where possible, but there was no guarantee they would be able to do so.

Horspath parish councillor Keith Brooks, who lives in Gateley in the village, said: “We have already paid for this salt in the council tax. I can’t see why we should have to pay twice for it.

“I think it’s blooming cheek.”

In the letter, the county council promises to fill existing bins once and will deliver a one tonne bag of salt. Councils are then given the option to buy extra bags at £100 plus VAT, and can also pay up for extra salt bins at a cost of £250 plus VAT, including the first fill of salt.

Mr Brooks was also concerned the onus was being placed on local people to actually spread and grit the roads and paths themselves.

He said: “There is no mention about who is going to put it on the footpaths along the roads.

“I feel like we are being conned again. As far as I am concerned, it’s up to them to put the salt on the footpaths and roads for the safety of people who go about and that is what we are paying council tax for.”

The move comes after two bitterly cold winters which saw Oxfordshire brought to a standstill by heavy snowfall.

Cumnor Parish Council has raised concerns about the difficulty of identifying a ‘secure dry storage’ area for such a large quantity of salt and how it is going to distribute it.

Minutes from a recent meeting read: “It appears to councillors this is another example of Oxfordshire County Council trying to pass on its responsibility to other local authorities.”

Old Marston Parish Council will discuss the plans on Tuesday.

County Council spokesman Owen Morton said giving out bags of salt before the winter would help local communities “take greater control of arrangements for salting minor roads and walkways in icy weather”.

He said it would ensure local supplies in the event national stocks became restricted, and would free up county council resources to concentrate on gritting main roads.

The county council said the payment would cover the cost of the salt.