Somerset Council ‘confident’ it has enough grit for winter

Somerset Council has begun plans for gritting the county's roads ahead of the first long-range forecasts for the Christmas period

A council has said it is "confident" it will have enough grit to clear the roads of ice and snow this winter.

Somerset Council is prepared with a fleet of 23 gritters, which will be deployed whenever the temperature drops below zero and ice or snow is expected.

It plans to prioritise roads that link major towns and important routes for long distance travel.

About 900 miles of roads across the county will be protected in extreme weather.

The fleet was deployed on 67 separate occasions over the winter of 2022/23.

The council are prepared with a fleet of 23 gritting trucks

"As the winter season approaches, it becomes even more vitally important that road users travel according to the conditions," said councillor Mike Rigby.

"All the preparation of our depots, and all the filling of our salt barns has taken place throughout the summer, so that everyone is good to go when the temperatures drop.

"The team are checking the forecasts every day, as soon as they get the call, the gritters are ready to go."

Somerset Council has published a map of all the routes it will be treating this year, with just over one-fifth of Somerset's roads being treated.

Every road covered last year will be treated, plus a small number of additions, it said.

Among the major roads being gritted this winter are the A30 between Chard and Yeovil via Crewkerne, and the A38 between Wellington and Highbridge.

The A39 between Bridgwater and Minehead and the A361 between Taunton and Frome will also be covered.

The council will not grit the M5, the A303 or the A36, as these are the responsibility of National Highways which has its own separate fleet of gritters.

Teams are deployed in the evening or early morning to ensure the ice has melted ahead of busy commutes

A council spokesman said: "We are confident that we have enough salt for the winter.

"We can't treat every road, as there aren't enough gritters, drivers and depot staff to make this cost-efficient."However, we are carrying on our work with parish councils to fill roadside grit bins on request and are continuing to run a community-led snow warden scheme."

Precautionary gritting normally takes place before the formation of ice, meaning the council's teams are out in the evening or early morning."Please be patient and take care," said gritter driver Josh Russell.

"Allow us to do our job so you can get to yours safely."