Posted on Friday 26th October 2018
Staffordshire’s army of gritters are primed and ready for action – as winter in Staffordshire officially gets underway.
As we head into November the county council’s fleet is now ready to roll when needed to help keep the county safely on the move.
The county council’s fleet of 40 plus gritters and snow ploughs will be ready to roll if the temperature drops, and with more than 20,000 tonnes of salt stockpiled, Staffordshire is well prepared for any adverse weather conditions.
Temperatures and road conditions will be monitored from weather stations across the county and the team of Winter Decision Makers will make the call as to when and where to send out the gritters.
On routine winter days and nights gritters will be focusing on the major routes and extending to the wider network in prolonged ice and snow conditions.
You can find out more about where we grit and how we decide to grit at our winter travel page.
The county’s hill contractors are also called into action on the higher ground in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
Staffordshire County Council’s highways lead Helen Fisher said:
“Over the last few weeks, highways teams have been putting the 40 plus strong army of gritters through their paces to ensure they are ready to go when the bad weather hits.
“Last season was particularly tough for our gritting teams, with prolonged ice and snow across much of the county in both December and March. The weather may be fine now, but last year shows just how important it is to be prepared.
“On a typical winter day we will be out largely on key A and B roads, but in prolonged ice or snow we will be pulling out all the stops to treat less major routes across the network.
“Of course, every winter is a partnership effort. Our crews play their part, our community Ice Busters do theirs by clearing local paths and we ask all drivers to play theirs as well.
“Regardless of whether a road has been gritted, motorists need to slow down, take extra care and allow more time for their journeys, as the most important thing is that we all get through winter safely.”
People can find out more about how the county prepares for winter at our winter travel page.