Wiltshire Council’s winter maintenance team says it is prepared and ready to keep the county’s roads running smoothly during the cold period.
After every Winter, council teams service 26 gritting vehicles, amend and test gritting routes, and develop closer working arrangements with parishes and other agencies.
The council has more than 13,000 tonnes of salt in stock strategically placed throughout the county in six storage sites. It also has weather stations in key areas that provide real-time information and assist in producing accurate forecasts to ensure gritters are sent out at the right time.
On average it can take up to 140 tonnes of salt to grit Wiltshire’s A and B class roads and 230 tonnes to salt an extended list of roads during prolonged cold weather.
During severe weather local farmers also have an important role to play, with many clearing snow in their local areas when required.
During winter people can have updates on both the weather and road conditions on Twitter by following @WiltshireWinter and the main account @wiltscouncil.
The council’s 1,600 salt bins dotted throughout the county are kept in good condition and batches of damaged and end of life salt bins are recycled. The initial batch of 350kg, about 18 bins, has already been cleaned, processed and recycled, and the next 400kg batch, about 20 bins, is ready to go.
The council says it is also preparing another 500kg (about 25 bins) for processing, so about 1.25 tonnes of plastic will be diverted from landfill, and with the new winter season approaching, that will increase.
Report empty salt bins via the MyWilts online reporting – https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/mywilts-online-reporting.