PLAISTOW - The town Highway Department will send warning letters to owners of properties that were identified in the recent snowstorm to be in violation of a town ordinance prohibiting moving snow to properties that the person does not own.

The recent snowfall left about 8 inches of snow and had the town Highway Department plowing from 11 p.m. Sunday until 8 p.m. Monday. And, as has been the case for several years, residents have made the job harder by leaving snow they removed from their driveways in or across the road.

"We get up the next morning and someone has plowed into the street," said Highway Supervisor Dan Garlington. "It’s very frustrating."

In all, Garlington estimated at least two dozen residences or commercial sites are in violation of the town’s ordinance. The ordinance has a $100 fine attached to it, but is difficult to enforce because the person has to caught in the act.

At Monday’s selectmen’s meeting, Larry Gil said that in some cases the driveway configuration makes it difficult to avoid encroaching the road.

Town Manager John Scruton said he can understand the difficulty of finding a place for the snow with some driveways, but there needs to be some consideration for the those plowing as well as safety concerns.

"The real problem are people that do not do it properly," said Scruton. "The key thing is to clean up after yourself and make sure it gets all the way to the other side."

Selectman John Sherman said once snow removal becomes a safety issue, it becomes a problem that must be addressed.

When snow is left in the road, it can cause black ice to form after it melts and freezes. It can also create frozen clumps in the road similar to a speed bump.

The town also has to pay to have someone clean up the roads again and the leftover piles can cause serious damage to the plows, he said.

"But most of the people (in violation) don’t care," said Garlington "They just want the snow gone."

Between 50 percent and 75 percent of the violations are not the actual homeowners, according to Garlington, but are the drivers of trucks the homeowners hire to plow.

Garlington said the town issued warning letters a few years ago, but most resident responses stated they did not do it. He offered to let anyone ride in a plow truck to see the amount of work that goes in to clearing the roads.

"We just ask that the people be considerate ... because people can get hurt, never mind the expense," he said.

Garlington also asked residents to remember:

Never assume a plow truck can see you. The height of the truck and the constant spray on the windshield makes it difficult to see anything with any detail.

Remove all portable basketball hoops from the road.

Do not park on the road during a snowstorm. Any vehicles impeding the plow trucks’ path will be towed.

Be sure children do not make snow forts near the town right-of-way.