Many residents and commuters were injured on ice-covered roads and pavements but Cheshire Council managers said under the circumstances they did all they could to help.

The local authority defended its gritting fleet workers after freezing temperatures left many roads and pathways in a perilous state. Hospital accident and emergency units were full to overflowing with casualties.

County Highways managers say gritting crews worked around the clock at maximum capacity to ensure roads were the highest priority, but many people complained that roads were treated at the expense of pavements.

As part of normal routine the county's 37 gritters first targeted priority one routes, which are all "A" class roads and designated routes to accident and emergency hospitals, which also usually include pavements.

After priority one routes were attended to, the gritters hit priority two routes, which are other commuter roads, major commuter or distributor roads carrying four buses or more per hour between 6am and 10am.

In just over a month 8,000 tonnes of grit were spread on Cheshire's roads – about half the total amount for a usual winter.

In the same period – December 6 to January 6 – gritting crews clocked up 2,602 hours and covered 36,000 miles.

County council highways and transport executive member Eveleigh Moore-Dutton said: "Our priority is to maintain safe driving conditions on the main routes but we have also salted secondary routes and some footways which we will continue to do with the resources available whilst difficult conditions persist.

"Engineers and gritting crews have been working flat out to keep roads open and the hectic schedule is shown by the fact that we have used in a month almost half the grit that normally would be used for the whole winter.

"We receive up-to-the-minute weather information from the Met Office and have real time road temperature information from our ice prediction system and are ready to deal with this severe weather and continue salting."

Cllr Moore-Dutton added: "It is not considered possible because of resources and costs to pre-treat all roads. However, if resources and time are available after Priority One and Two routes have been covered then other roads and pavements are treated.

"Obviously we are urging everyone during cold weather to keep a watchful eye on their elderly neighbours and encourage them to be extra careful because of the treacherous conditions underfoot."

David Robinson, of King's Crescent West, Boughton, said: "Footways and cycleways are given a very low gritting priority and are often not treated at all.

"I reported my local concerns to Cheshire Council and they took some action.

"Surely the NHS and local councils can pool some of their resources to ensure casualty costs and suffering, particularly for vulnerable road and footway users, during bad weather, is kept to a minimum."

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), slipping and tripping remained the most common kind of any major injury in the North West last year with 1,331 injuries reported.