Hertfordshire County Council has advised parents to be careful while walking their children to school after concerns were raised over unsalted pathways being “dangerous”.

Kasia Marczak has found it difficult to walk her two young children to school this week as she says the slippery paths in High Road, Leavesden, are “unsafe”.

She said: “We have to walk to school slowly as the paths are icy and not safe.”

Other residents have also raised fears about roads and paths near schools not being gritted enough – including the roads near The Divine Saviour R C Junior Mixed and Infant School, in Broomfield Rise, Abbots Langley.

A county council spokesperson has since warned parents to “take extra time and care” when walking with their children.

When icy weather or snow is predicted they grit primary routes first including major bus routes and one road in and out of each village.

Once they have cleared the primary routes, the gritters then start on secondary routes such as steep roads in residential areas or rural roads with poor drainage.

The spokesperson said: “Snow and ice means that travel on county roads and footways may take longer than usual. We would urge residents to take extra time and care, especially when walking children to school.

“Our gritters have been out 12 times since Friday lunchtime and we’ve used 3,600 tonnes of salt and cover 28,600 km. We prioritise our main gritting routes until we know that they are all clear and likely to remain so. After achieving this, we endeavour to turn our attention to other roads and footways with the help of district councils.

“Salt bins are provided in more than 1,000 locations around the county for ‘self-help’ during icy weather. We also provide community salt via our self-help scheme to district, borough and town and parish councils, schools, resident associations and community groups. We would like to thank residents for their patience during the current adverse weather conditions.”