Wiltshire Council are ready for winter

Wiltshire Council's winter maintenance team are preparing to keep the roads running smoothly over the next few months.

After the end of every winter, Wiltshire Council service 24 gritting vehicles, amend and test gritting routes, and develop closer working arrangements with parishes and other agencies.

The Council have more than 11,000 tonnes of salt in stock strategically placed throughout the county in six storage sites. They also have weather stations in key areas which provide real time information and assist in producing accurate forecasts to ensure gritters are sent out at the right time.

Bridget Wayman, cabinet member for highways, said: "We have a dedicated team who do an amazing job in very difficult conditions, and we are fully prepared for this coming winter.

"We can, of course, never predict how severe a winter will be, but the wealth of experience we have means we will be in the best position possible should bad weather hit the county."

On average it can take up to 140 tonnes of salt to grit Wiltshire's A and B class roads and 230 tonnes to salt an extended list of roads during prolonged cold weather.

During severe weather local farmers also have an important role to play, with many clearing snow in their local areas when required.

Wiltshire Council also have a scheme where parish and town councils can apply for a one tonne bag of salt to help keep important areas of the highway open within the local community during adverse weather, if you are not in the scheme and would like to know more get in touch. In addition, salt is supplied to many schools to maintain the car parks and keep their facilities open.

During winter people can have updates on both the weather and road conditions on Twitter by following @WiltshireWinter and @WiltshireRoads