THE question of a council’s gritting regime may not always be top of the news agenda, but in the Yorkshire Dales a campaign is brewing over the Buttertubs Pass.

The pass, which links Upper Swaledale and Upper Wensleydale, was made famous during the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014 as one of the toughest climbs for the best cyclists in the world – but it has always been infamous among locals.

Upper Dales councillor John Blackie is on the warpath to ensure the Buttertubs is made a priority one for gritters, if not this year, then in the future.

Why is this so important? It is, after all, a minor road in a remote part of the Yorkshire Dales, which is hardly a major route for motorists.

However, for many it is the quickest way out of the top of Swaledale in case of emergency, or even a for route doctor or nurse appointments in nearby market town of Hawes – that is, it is nearby if using the Buttertubs route, rather than travel 32 miles on main roads via Reeth and Leyburn.

Following the announcement of a consultation into the future of A&E and consultant-led maternity services at Darlington Memorial Hospital, which could potentially result in the downgrading of the services, it has become more important than ever to give emergency services the option of getting to the second-nearest hospital, Lancaster.

Muker in Upper Swaledale is about 40 miles to Lancaster, taking the most direct route over the pass; and about 50 miles to Middlesbrough for the James Cook University Hospital.

So ambulance services really should have all options open to them when faced with a patient whose life hangs in the balance and every minute counts – why take the risk?