Chippenham will get five much-needed grit bins when temperatures drop, after a thaw in council hostilities over who would fill them.

The town missed out on the extra grit bins last winter, as neither Wiltshire Council nor Chippenham Town Council wanted to take on maintenance responsibilities.

Existing ones are filled with salt by Wiltshire Council, but it asked the town council to maintain five new grit bins if it bought them.

When the town council refused last September, Wiltshire Council removed them from its budget.

But now the town council has returned to the debate and backed down.

Adrian Jones, head of service delivery at Chippenham Town Council, recommended at the March meeting that the leisure and amenities committee stick to its guns, ensuring responsibility for provision and maintenance remain with Wiltshire Council, as the statutory highways authority.

Some town councillors shared his concern that it would stretch its limited resources considerably.

But members voted to maintain the extra bins for the sake of public safety.

Councillor Bill Douglas, who also voted for them last September, said: “There’s been a lot of opposition, because of the principle, and people were worried about double taxation.

“But you can’t leave it to Wiltshire Council to pay for everything, you need to contribute something. We decided that it was something our people needed, for safety.”

Councillors have requested grit bins for 12 locations, but only five can be provided.

Location suggestions are: in Cepen Park North- Redwing Avenue, at the junction with Harnish Way and Sandpiper Gardens; Pew Hill area, in the vicinity of Evans Close, Saxby Road and Farmer Close; Ivy Road; Brake Mead in Monkton Park; The Butts, off The Causeway; Wood Lane, at the island and at Avenue La Fleche end; and unspecified locations in Pewsham and Cepen Park South.

The town council and Wiltshire Council will liaise on the most suitable locations between now and winter 2014.