A COUNCIL proposal to spend £170,000 on a weather forecasting service has been given a frosty welcome by hundreds of residents.

Wye Valley photographer Caz Holbrook has launched a petition calling on Herefordshire Council to scrap its plan after the local authority tendered for a contract with MetDesk Ltd to support the delivery of its winter service plan.

The contractor will use the council’s existing weather stations and sensors alongside its own resources.

But the petition at change.org has already attracted over 800 signatures and is growing daily.

The council say the processing of live data from seven weather stations will help forecast the need for things like gritting roads across the county, including in nearby villages like Welsh Newton, Ganarew, Whitchurch, Symonds Yat West, Llangrove, Llangarron and Garway.

But Ms Holbrook has slammed the contract as a ‘waste of money’ and says: “Most people now have very accurate apps on their smart phones.

“This expenditure is an utter waste of Herefordshire residents’ money, and this could be spent so much more wisely elsewhere.

“This decision affects everyone who lives in Herefordshire and cannot be allowed to go ahead. Make your voice heard and sign this petition to try and make the local authority see sense.”

Valerie Allison said the council’s limited resources shouldo be spent more wisely while Karen Preece added: “This is a disgrace when the Met Office app is free. This money could go towards clearing the drains and dredging the contaminated River Wye.”

And Anne Williams adds: “It is beyond comprehension why you would want to waste so much money as the BBC weather app is always accurate.”

Mary Deaville says: “We can't stop the weather, but we can help repair the damage caused or try to prevent the damage happening in the first place.”

Herefordshire Council’s head of highways and traffic Ed Bradford claimed that its weather forecasting system is not comparable to forecasts available to all via the media.

“Highway authorities across the country use an industry-specific weather forecasting service to provide targeted weather information which promotes safety for highway users across the county and helps with the cost-effective provision of winter maintenance,” he said.