Over 5,500 miles of Warwickshire roads gritted over weekend
Warwickshire County Council's gritting teams were out over the weekend as hazardous driving conditions set in
Over the weekend, more than 5,500 miles of Warwickshire's roads were gritted, a distance equivalent to the length of the Great Wall of China.
Warwickshire County Council said the efforts built on work during the Christmas holiday period when gritting teams operating from five depots across Warwickshire headed out 14 times between 23rd December and New Year, collectively covering 15,400 miles
The Council added that a bulk fill of all its grit bins across the county would start today (January 5) as many had been used during the recent drop in temperature.
Cllr Jennifer Warren, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, said:
“We’re extremely grateful to our gritting teams who worked tirelessly over the weekend and throughout the Christmas period to help people travel safely.
“We’re often asked why some roads aren’t gritted. The reality is we can’t treat every road, so we prioritise key routes. And it’s important to remember that gritting isn’t a magic fix, it helps, but safe driving is essential.
“We continually update our data to ensure we grit the right roads at the right time. Where roads aren’t gritted, we work with local councils to provide salt bins for communities to use on footpaths.”
The council said some residents have expressed concerns about whether roads have been gritted when they notice roads still appear to be icy.
Scott Carpenter, delivery services manager at Warwickshire County Council, explained:
“When snow falls after salt has been spread, it needs traffic to work it in for full effectiveness. Over the holidays, reduced traffic meant roads were sometimes slippier than usual.
“While we do everything possible to keep roads safe, our advice remains: only travel if essential during icy or snowy conditions and always drive according to the Highway Code as stopping distances significantly increase during icy weather.”