CYCLISTS and walkers at Kesgrave are enjoying a clear path this winter . . . thanks to a mini snow plough.While motorists hope the gritters have succeeded in getting rid of the ice and snow, those on foot and two wheels are being looked after by a compact tractor with a snow plough blade and power brushes.

CYCLISTS and walkers at Kesgrave are enjoying a clear path this winter . . . thanks to a mini snow plough.

While motorists hope the gritters have succeeded in getting rid of the ice and snow, those on foot and two wheels are being looked after by a compact tractor with a snow plough blade and power brushes.

Just to make sure it has done as much as it can to make the paths and tracks safe, it shoots out brine from its rear to melt any remaining ice.

No matter how bad the weather, the machine whizzes along the routes around the huge Grange Farm estate, which has been designed to encourage people to leave their cars behind and use alternative forms of transport.

Andrew Gutteridge, roads and bridges manager for Suffolk County Council, said the machine had been bought with the Grange Farm estate in mind, especially as Kesgrave High School has the highest number of children cycling to school in the county and many BT employees also used their bikes.

"We want to make it as easy as possible for people to walk and cycle and so keeping the foot and cycleways clear is essential," he said.

"The machine can spray brine out of the back and we can fit it with a snow plough or power brushes to clear the snow out of the way.

"It is primarily for snow and ice but we do make use of it at other times of the year when we can."

Residents in the area are delighted at the work of the mini snow plough, allowing them to walk or bike safely.

Town clerk Veronica Read said: "It is a real bonus for the area and certainly does a very effective job."

n What do you think of the mini snow plough? What else could be done to encourage walking and cycling? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk