Notts gritters are ready for bad weather

The county's gritters will be working day and night to ensure our roads are as safe as they can be over the winter period.

Now we are in November, the increased potential for severe weather conditions means Nottinghamshire’s gritting teams will be working night shifts with the increased

There will be additional standby gritting drivers prepared for action 24/7 as and when they will be needed.

This arrangement will remain in place until the end of March next year or later if necessary – depending on the weather. It’s the latest stage of the annual winter preparations which are being put into force by Nottinghamshire County Council and its new joint venture company Via East Midlands. Via East Midlands is based at the county council’s highways depots and is managing winter maintenance.

Nottinghamshire County Council’s four salt barns are already full to the brim, giving it 12,000 tonnes more salt stockpiled than official government recommendations,

Operations will continue to take place from the four depots county wide in Gamston, Markham Moor, Newark and Bilsthorpe.

Overall, the council has the capacity to store around 20,000 tonnes of salt – some 18,000 tonnes of it under cover. Checking and refilling of the 1,300 roadside grit bins has already begun and deliveries of salt to parish councils are planned for November.

There are 31 gritting lorries in the fleet, two gritting tractor units and two towable gritting units which can be used in severe weather – tracked by GPS technology.

The county council’s Gritter Twitter social media feed will once again be used to promote the daily gritting decision to all interested stakeholders.

Meanwhile, dozens of volunteer snow wardens are once again on hand to assist in rural areas if the weather turns bad.

Councillor Kevin Greaves, committee chairman for transport and highways, said: “We plan for winter all year round and we are in a strong position and ready for the months ahead.

“We always give a high priority to winter maintenance and our preparations mean we will be ready to act as soon as any bad weather arrives.”

Garry Chadburn, of Via East Midlands, added: “We are poised and ready to treat our gritting routes as and when it is needed.”

For information about gritting routes see www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/winter