~Aberdeen City Council~ revealed this week how it is fighting the elements on the streets and on the beaches. Amid heavy snowfalls, the city reassured residents that extra supplies of salt were being shipped in from Newcastle. Last week alone, it used 5,000t – more than one-quarter of its typical winter consumption of 18,000t. Meanwhile, a new plan has been launched to save the city’s beach from erosion. The Scottish Executive vetoed its £10M proposal to import sand from the Firth of Forth, in favour of a drastic £2.5M rock armour solution. Instead, council officials are urgently negotiating with Montrose Harbour Board over unwanted sand dredged from the harbour.