Council: We’re keeping Worksop on the move in snow

WITH more snow forecast for today, Notts County Council is reassuring residents that its gritting teams will be out and about again, helping to keep Worksop on the move.
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Guardian News

Since last weekend the council’s gritting teams have been out both night and day, completing 11 runs on main routes across the county, as well as three snow routes.

In total, the runs so far this week have used around 2,500 tonnes of salt and the Council still has over 16,000 tonnes in store at its depots around Notts.

The council is also urging people to be good neighbours and help clear residential roads, paths and pavements by following the Government’s Snow Code – which gives clear advice on clearing snow and ice safely.

Coun Richard Jackson, chairman of the county council’s transport and highways committee, said: “The County Council is better prepared than ever for this winter and remains committed to playing its part by salting and gritting the main roads across Nottinghamshire.”

“But despite what many people think, we have never gritted residential streets – unless they are also main routes – as we simply don’t have the capacity.”

He added: “The roads we do salt account for around a third of the county’s entire network. If we were to salt every single road it would cost an extra £5.2m on top of the Council’s existing £2.6m budget. Not only that, we’d probably run out of grit very quickly! “

“Our priorities are to get the main roads and key public transport corridors passable as quickly as we can so that emergency services and as many people as possible are able to undertake essential journeys.”

“Once we’ve done that we will, of course, assist on minor roads but, where you are able, you don’t have to wait for us to reach your road and footway.”

Worksop residents are urged to follow the Snow Code:

• don’t make the footways more dangerous by causing them to refreeze. But don’t be put off clearing footways because you’re afraid someone will get injured. Remember – people walking on snow and ice have responsibility to be careful themselves.

• clear the snow or ice early in the day – it’s easier to move fresh, loose snow rather than hard snow that has packed together from people walking on it. If you remove the top layer of snow in the morning, any sunshine during the day will help melt any ice beneath. You can then cover the path with salt before nightfall to stop it refreezing overnight.

• use salt or sand – not water! If you use water to melt the snow, it will refreeze and turn to black ice. You can use ordinary table or dishwasher salt – a tablespoon for each square metre you clear should work. If you don’t have enough salt, you can also use sand or ash. These won’t stop the path icing over as well as salt, but will provide good grip under foot.

• use your own salt for your own driveway and only use the salt from council grit bins for public footways and roads so that together we have enough to go around

• when you’re shovelling snow, take care where you put it so it doesn’t block people’s paths or drains.

• offer to clear your neighbours’ paths. If your neighbour will have difficulty getting in and out of their home, offer to clear snow and ice around their property as well. Check that any elderly or disabled neighbours are alright in the cold weather. If you’re worried about them, contact your local council.

You can find more information on the snow code and other advice for coping with winter weather by visiting www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk