AN army of volunteers have been praised for their “true grit”.

They were the unsung heroes of the bad weather in a December which has turned out to be the coldest in 100 years.

Now the community-minded volunteers have been praised as “freeze heroes” by Kirklees Council.

Dozens of them across Huddersfield and Dewsbury turned out to grit streets and footpaths as day after day was greeted with snow and ice.

The Kirklees Streetscene service clears and grits over 700 miles (60%) of the local road network and if the priority routes are clear, staff then move into clearing and gritting secondary routes.

This year, however, over 70 volunteer groups have been working closely with Streetscene to provide an enhanced snow and ice clearing service in local communities.

Clr David Sheard, Kirklees Cabinet member for Environment and Transportation, said: “We can grit the priority route in two hours but it takes us almost three times as long to plough it.

“In the really bad weather, we spent six days ploughing secondary routes and estate roads and we have already used 11,000 tonnes of grit this year up till the end of December.

“We had almost 200 council employees clearing ice and snow from village and town centres but more help is needed to get the job done quickly.

“This year we have worked closely with groups of volunteers who want to make a difference in their local community and we have received valuable help from people.

“They approached us because they live near residential homes, community centres or other key community services.

“The council provided the grit for them, dropped it off and did all the health and safety training and checks. The volunteers have then been able to assist in spreading the grit and complimenting the existing service offered by Streetscene.

“Together we have got through some truly awful weather.”

Clr Mehboob Khan, leader of Kirklees Council, added: “This is a great example of the council working with the local community to offer a better service.

“The volunteer groups we have are excellent and it really shows what can be done in a spirit of co-operation.”

Local farmers were also praised for their efforts during the Big Freeze.

Using grit provided by the council, they have been gritting routes not only to and from their farms and livestock to make sure milk and meat deliveries can continue, but also in their vicinity so that more rural areas can still be reached.

The A635 Greenfield Road out of Holmfirth remained closed last night because of snow.