A man driving on a road to Machynlleth that was removed from Powys Council’s gritting network ended up in a ditch after skidding on ice.

Nigel Godfrey, from Caerphilly, was driving along Forge Road between Machynlleth and Llanidloes on February 22 when his car hit a patch of black ice and ended up in a ditch on the side of the road.

Mr Godfrey said that after the incident, he discovered that the road had not been gritted by Powys County Council, and claimed that he was later told by local residents that drivers tend to avoid the road in icy weather.

He said: “The Sat Nav diverted me over Forge Road as it said the main road was closed. Then just outside Machynlleth I skidded on black ice as the road veered left and I carried straight on into the hillside ditch.

“If the road had veered to the right, the black ice would have taken me tumbling down the mountain and this would have been dealing with a fatality.

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“I was in Machynlleth all day, catching a train home as my car was out of action but I was told that locals tend to avoid that road in the winter months and that the council have not gritted it for years. I wonder if it’s an accident waiting to happen.

“I sympathise that there are many miles of roads in the area to manage, and this one is fairly remote, but it’s steep, narrow and windy, and I worry people, like myself, won’t realise just how dangerous it is until something happens.”

A spokesperson for Powys County Council said: “The county road network in Powys stretches more than 5,000 km.

“Due to financial constraints, it is recognised that authorities cannot always be reasonably expected to protect against ice and snow on all parts of the network. The council has a network of priority routes which are gritted as a precautionary measure when temperatures are forecast to drop.

“Salt heaps and bins are utilised on the highway network that are not included in the precautionary routes.

“Drivers should be aware of the need to drive with due care at all times, especially when roads frosts or freezing temperatures follow rain.”