Herefordshire Council to spend £1.1m on new gritters

Eight new winter gritters will be purchased by the council

Council bosses will spend more than a million pounds on new gritters and other machinery in a bid to make the county's roads safer in winter.

Herefordshire Council has approved the purchase of eight gritters to replace its current fleet over the next four years at a cost of £1.16m.

A further £180,000 will be spent on renewing weather monitoring and forecasting stations.

Councillor John Harrington made the decision at a meeting on Tuesday.

The plans also include £40,000 being spent on new flood warning sensors and a further £22,000 on installation and management.

Last month the council also confirmed it would spend £343,000 on other machinery rather than continue to hire it, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands.

Other purchases will include two road sweepers, two dumpers, two excavators and one towable wood-chipper.

The authority said the cost of hiring the same kit over five years would have been £560,000, meaning equipment it has committed to buy will pay for itself in just over three years.

This "will then release funds that can be reinvested into the service", the council's decision notice said.

A council representative confirmed: "The approved decision allows the council to start the procurement process. We haven't taken delivery of any vehicles at this stage."

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