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Gritters geared up for more cold weather
Posted on 23/12/2009
Lesley Pendleton, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, took to the roads last night when she went out on one of the regular gritting routes from the Highway depot in Mountsorrel.
Leicestershire’s gritting fleet has been hard at work over the last few days salting the county’s roads.
Last weekend saw some exceptionally low temperatures, and the fleet of gritters spread around 700 tonnes of salt.
The temperatures have rarely got above freezing, giving ice and snow little chance to melt.
With this cold weather expected to last all week, drivers are also being urged to take extra care, plan their journeys and stick to the main roads.
When ice is forecast, 45% of the road network is treated – a higher percentage of roads than most councils in the UK. This includes most A roads, some B and C class roads, major commuter and bus routes and as far as is possible, at least one route through all Leicestershire villages.
So far this month, the heaviest snowfall fell in East Leicestershire and the main roads in these areas were the priority. The County Council has already moved on to lower priority roads in and around villages.
The County Council has 17 gritters which spread roughly 150 tonnes of salt each night, covering 1,200 miles of highway. Barns are stocked up and contain around 13,000 tonnes of salt - more than enough to last throughout the winter.
Lesley Pendleton, County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: "We keep an extremely close eye on the weather to ensure our roads are kept safe but would advise drivers to take extra care during difficult conditions."
Although the County Council will grit 45% of the road network when it’s icy, drivers are still warned to take care and never to assume that any road is completely ice free.
In a cold winter, frost and ice usually appear across the whole surface of a road. Motorists are urged to drive carefully as braking distances can be up to 10 times longer in icy conditions.
Leaflets showing the gritting routes can be downloaded from the County Council's website at www.leics.gov.uk/winterdriving or a copy can be obtained from local libraries or Council Office
