AN appeal for the road leading to Torre's doctors' surgery to be added to the county council's gritting list appears to have fallen at the first hurdle.

A Washford villager, who asked not to be named, said it was ridiculous the road past the village pub was gritted but not the lane leading to the Brendon Hills Surgery.

She said she had spoken to parish councillors about the issue but they had been short shrift by highways bosses.

"The gritter stops just a few yards from the surgery and it would take nothing for it to just go up around to the doctors'.

"It's just insanity that for the sake of a couple of yards people can't get their medication but they're OK to go and get a pint," she said.

But a Somerset County Council spokesman said highways staff could only do so much and suggested villagers helped themselves instead.

The spokesman said: "There is a limit to how much of Somerset's extensive road network the gritting lorries can cover.

"In this case there is a narrow lane to the surgery and it is nearly a quarter of a mile from the salting route.

"We hope that, if the local community sees there is a need for additional salting, they will work with their parish council to arrange it to be spread safely.

"We donate ten 20kg bags of salt to parish councils to enable this and the local parish council has taken up this offer."