GREENWICH Council has been hit with a double-whammy over its handling of the snowy weather.
Not only has the council been criticised for suggesting bus services should have been running during the morning of February 2, but it has admitted using crushed glass to treat pavements.
Numerous complaints have been made to the council from cyclists with punctured tyres, while other residents say they are walking glass into their homes and scratching wooden floors.
Simon Gallie, 43, of Maidenstone Hill, Greenwich, said: "What idiot agreed to this one?
"Did no one think of people falling over and cutting themselves, or the damage it could cause to vehicles or furnishings.
"I found broken glass on my kitchen and hallway laminate flooring."
News Shopper contacted the Highways Agency to find out if such methods were used in other parts of the country.
An agency spokesman confirmed it would not use broken glass under any circumstances.
Conservative party councillor Spencer Drury called for Greenwich to pay for the damage caused to people's floors.
The glass revelation comes a week after a national newspaper quoted council leader, Councillor Chris Roberts, saying the roads to Plumstead bus depot had been gritted, and that "buses could have got out, but instead we saw the bus drivers having snowball fights.”
However, the bus company claims the council failed to grit the road leading to the depot (Pettman Crescent), during the worst of the weather, meaning buses were stranded.
Nigel Barrett is the chief executive of East London Bus Group which runs the Plumstead bus depot.
He said: "I'm extremely annoyed that Chris Roberts did not check the facts before going to the press.
"He did not even call the depot to see what the situation was.
"We made several attempts to get the buses out but they just went sideways. We had two near collisions."
A spokeswoman for Greenwich Council said: "We gritted the Pettman Crescent five times on February 1, beginning at 7:30am, and then continued to grit the area on subsequent days as required."
Referring to the glass treatment on pavements, she added: "It is not broken glass but is made from glass that has been crushed, graded and washed.
"It was mixed 50:50 with rock salt in line with government guidance circulated to councils."
Lewisham and Bromley Councils confirmed they do not use crushed glass for gritting pavements or roads.
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