THIRTY people have signed up to become snow wardens to help keep their neighbourhoods safe in the wintry weather.

However, Southend Council is hopeful many more will join when the authority provides free ice busting packs to the first 500 people who turn up at the council’s new salt depot in Short Street on Saturday.

Councillor Martin Terry, executive councillor for public protection, waste and transport, said: “I am delighted. We have got 30 volunteers which will be added to the group we had last year. Everyone signs an undertaking that they will help their community and it is excellent to know that people will do things for their neighbours.

“In this day and age, when people say there is no such thing as community spirit, it is great to see people coming forward like this.”

He hoped many more community minded individuals would be signing up at the depot this weekend.

He added: “Although we have had some mild winters, this week we have seen the cold weather start to bite and most of us will recall the severe winters we had just a few years ago.

“The council is carefully monitoring the weather and its gritters are always ready to grit main routes when temperatures start to sink, as they did late last week.

The salt depot will be open from 9am to 3pm and staff will be on hand to distribute the supplies to residents who have proof of a borough address.

For further information and a map of grit bins in the borough, you can visit the parking, gravel and roads section of the www.southend.gov.uk website and follow links for adverse weather, gritting and snow.