Gritters now on standby for seven months as Hertfordshire County Council braces for winter

Hertfordshire County Council’s fleet of 58 gritters is on standby from today (Tuesday, October 1).

Crews and decision-makers from the authority’s highways team will be ready around the clock to salt roads if temperatures drop to freezing.

They will cover nearly half of Hertfordshire’s road network – more than 1,500 miles (2,500km).

Cllr Phil Bibby, executive member for highways and transport, said: “We are prepared for our winter season, which starts at the beginning of October.

“We’ve made sure our gritters are ready, our salt stocks in the depots are high and that the county’s 1,000-plus salt bins are topped up before freezing weather arrives.

“Our crews will now be on standby 24 hours a day until the end of April, ready to deal with whatever the weather throws at us.

“We don’t know how much, if any, snow and ice we’ll see this winter, but I’m confident our highways teams are organised and we will do everything we can to keep the county’s roads open and safe, whatever the weather.”

The council sends out gritters when road surface temperatures are forecast to be 0.5C (33F) or below.

It aims to grit roads to schools, care homes, doctors’ surgeries, key pharmacies and libraries, as well as all the county’s A and B roads, bus routes (including school bus routes), roads with a 10% gradient or steeper and at least one route into every village.

The authority also supplies salt to schools if they request it plus district, borough, town and parish councils so they can identify where best to use the grit during severe weather.

Community groups and residents’ associations can access free gritting salt; so far this year more than 200 local groups have placed orders. Apply by October 31 at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/applyforsalt.