WEATHER: Gritters out again as '˜Beast from the East' lingers in Nottinghamshire

With snow ploughs being used throughout the county, daytime crews have been out this morning (Friday) and are expected to be out tonight and over the weekend with a further 2-5cms of snow currently predicted for this afternoon and tonight.

Gritting team manager Kevin Heathcote of Via East Midlands, which delivers highways services on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council, including winter maintenance, said “Our priority is the keep main routes in the county moving, including major A and B roads, along with major bus routes –a third of the county’s entire road networks at 1,120 miles.

“With the high winds, we have a few incidents of snow drifts, where snow is being blown from the fields on to the roads so conditions have been particularly tough. We are working hard to keep as many roads open as possible working with County Council emergency planning colleagues as well as Nottinghamshire Police.

“All our gritting lorries have a GPS tracking system installed and CCTV which provides a visible record of every route gritted. We also have eight weather stations and access to others stations which provide all sorts of information, but probably the most vital is that they let us know the road surface temperature as there are sensors in the carriageway.”

Nottinghamshire County Councillor John Cottee, committee chairman of communities and place paid tribute to the work being carried out by the county’s gritting teams.

“We had a lot of messages of support from residents who have thanked our gritting teams for their sterling work in tough conditions. Some have even referred to them as our unsung winter heroes. And I agree, our teams are doing a fantastic job.

“Having recently been out in a gritting vehicle during a visit to our Gamston depot, I have seen for myself the amount of preparations which take place before every gritting run – and there have been a lot of runs recently. Our teams have been out on back-to-back runs since Monday evening, often making multiple runs each day.”

“Local farmers have also been fantastic in their efforts helping keep rural routes open.”

The county’s salt supplies are being constantly reviewed and we have put in orders to top-up on stock levels.

For winter weather alerts and information follow Nottinghamshire County Council on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nottscc