Council invests £225k in thermal sensors

Thermal sensors are being rolled out across Berkshire

A council has invested £225,000 in thermal sensors to help inform its gritting policy over winter.

West Berkshire Council said it has installed "state-of-the-art" sensors on street lighting and on gritting vehicles.

By collecting data on which roads need gritting and when, the council says it hopes to reduce the number of road treatments by 40%.

Jon Winstanley from West Berkshire Council said it was an "exciting" scheme that would have "significant environmental and financial benefits".

The project is a collaboration between the council and highway maintenance partner VolkerHighways.

It is funded by a Local Growth Fund capital grant from Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership

The council said the sensors show the surface temperatures on all treated roads in the district.

Data collection has already begun.

As well as reducing the number of road treatments by 40% by 2027, the council also said it hopes the sensors will reduce carbon emissions by 26 tonnes a year.

Kunle Kolaru, operations director at VolkerHighways, said they were "very excited" to be working on the rollout.