AN EXMOOR business fears it could go bust after being left literally in the cold. Pulhams Mill, midway between Wimbleball Lake and Brompton Regis, is a victim of last year's cutbacks to Somerset highways' gritting network. And while owners Ian Mawby and Pauline Clements complained to Somerset County Council about being cut out of the winter pre-salting network, the weather was thankfully not too severe. But with the first serious snow of the season falling last Friday and a hard winter predicted, the impact of the cutback, compounded by a further £300,000 slashed off this year's budget, became all too painfully clear last weekend. "We just couldn't move - the road outside our business was impossible to drive on, it was just dreadful," said Ian. "Staff couldn't get in - we were completely cut off." Ian and Pauline run a craft shop, tearoom, furniture making business and have a holiday cottage. "We pay three business rates and a Council Tax, which is a substantial amount," said Ian. "Living on the moor we get little enough for our money as it is. "I am not asking the county council to reinstate our stretch of road in the network - I am demanding it. "The gritting lorry comes to the crossroads just above us and only 100 yards away and then stops and turns round. "It misses us completely and it's absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. "We have lived here for 25 years so we know what it's like living on the moor, we understand the difficulties and we do not have unreasonable expectations. "We're not even expecting the road to be gritted on the first day of bad weather. "But the reality is we are running a business. If we have a bad winter we could be out of business because customers will simply not be able to get here." Mr Mawby said he was told by highways officials that the criteria for the pre-salting network had changed and there was not enough money in the budget to treat all roads. Only a matter of months ago Watchet and Quantocks county councillor Anthony Trollope- Bellew, who is also the county's Conservative spokesman for environment and transport, led calls for the authority to re-think the plans to scale down its maintenance work. He said West Somerset motorists should "pray for a mild winter." A county council spokeswoman later told the Free Press that the road outside Pulhams Mill had not been affected by this year's cutbacks but by a review two years ago. But she said it was on the post treatment network which meant that if freezing or icy conditions lasted more than 24 hours there would be some salting of the road. Around 21 per cent of the county's road network is now pre-salted and the authority insists it has followed the national code of practice for assessing which roads should take priority. Highways portfolio holder Cllr Tony Shire told the Free Press last week in response to concerns from Blue Anchor resident Jim Butterworth about the axeing of the B3191 from the network that areas out of the loop could help themselves. Parish councils can apparently buy grit boxes which will be filled by the highway authority free of charge to allow "self help" in areas off the treated network. But Bridgwater and West Somerset MP Ian Liddell- Grainger is to ask the Government to take action against the controversial road strategy. He said the recent 20 per cent cutback in gritting was causing many people a great deal of concern and worry. "I want something said and done now before any of my constituents get injured or worse as a result of the cut in gritting," said Mr Liddell-Grainger. "Financial expense is nothing compared to people's safety and I will not sit back and watch my constituents being put in danger."