SALT heaps and salt bins are to be replenished in the district after a car crashed and flipped onto its roof on the road from Settle towards Kirkby Malham.

Farmer Godfrey Haygarth, who farms at Springfield Farm, said the road called High Hill Lane, accessed through Upper Settle, was like sheet ice and the crashed vehicle, which snapped a telegraph pole in half, was blocking the road so he couldn't get to his animals. Other people who had children at school were unable to get past.

The occupants of the vehicle were believed to be a mother with a baby and small child who was travelling from the Malham direction towards Settle. There were no reports of any injuries.

Mr Haygarth's daughter, Alison, added: "It's a really steep road and I usually spread salt each year but there hasn't been any salt heaps this time. The recovery vehicle couldn't get to the car because of the conditions so it caused a road closure.

The incident is said to have occurred early on Wednesday this week, the day after Highways were asked to grit the road.

Mr Haygarth said the county council did eventually come and spread salt but not until the road, likened to an ice rink, had been impassible for two days.

"It gets to be a welfare issue when you can't get out to feed stock or take children to school,"he said.

James Malcolm, Highways area manager for North Yorkshire County Council said: "We deliver a robust winter service with the safety of the travelling public our top priority. In accordance with our Winter Maintenance Policy, we grit our roads in priority order as resources allow, based on traffic flows and the best use of our gritters.

"All salt heaps and grit bins are replenished during the summer months. They were checked in the Craven District and none required restocking. During the winter we rely on motorists or residents alerting us to replenish salt heaps.

"One resident contacted our highways team on Tuesday asking to replenish the heap on High Hill Lane. Unfortunately, by this time our resources were being deployed on maintaining priority 1 and 2 routes. We urge residents to request a salt bin or heap to be replenished before they are depleted.

"I would like to reassure residents that an instruction has been passed to our contractors to restock all bins and heaps in the district.

"Please remember that gritting does not guarantee an ice free surface as traffic needs to drive over a gritted road in order to grind the salt to activate it. Salt has a very limited effect on black ice that has already formed."