We provide a highways winter service 24 hours a day from mid-October to mid-April.
The winter service is also coordinated within the wider council so other services are able to provide resources where needed during periods of severe winter weather.
These are some of the resources we have and preparations we make to help our services run as usual during winter.
Gritters
We have a fleet of 7 gritters that were new in 2022 and supplied by the UK's leading supplier of highways winter maintenance equipment - ECON.
Our gritters have:
- A ‘low throw’ spreading device that distributes the salt on the road at a lower level than the traditional gritters. This ensures the majority of the salt is kept on the roads and minimises the amount of salt which bounces up and hits cars.
- GPS tracking that gives live and archived data. This lets us know the exact route the gritters have travelled, the start and finish time of the treatment, the speed they travelled at, the extent of the road they treated and the amount of salt which was spread on the roads and more.
- Snow ploughs that can be fitted to clear snow from the highway.
Salt
Our winter service policy specifies we have a minimum of 4,000 tonnes of salt at the start of winter.
We have a restocking arrangement with our supplier, Compass Minerals, who will maintain our stocks throughout the winter period. The amount that we hold in stock will be reduced towards the end of the winter as the risk of snow and ice diminishes.
Salt bins
There are many salt bins located around the borough that anyone can use on public roads and pavements.
Help us
The government has published advice to help you clear snow and ice yourself.