Stockport Council gritting team hit the road amid wintery weather

With the first cold snap of the season upon us, Stockport Council’s gritting team will be out in the adverse weather to make sure that the boroughs roads are kept open and safe.

This winter, the council expects to use more than 3,500 tonnes of grit across its fleet of eight frontline gritters as they head out on our roads in advance of adverse weather forecasts.

The gritting team, made up of sixteen experienced drivers from Stockport Council’s Streetcare, Parks & Highways department, regularly keep up to date with local weather conditions and help keep the borough moving in times of snow and ice.

It takes the team just five hours to treat 315km of priority roads and 169km of secondary routes – which makes up half of the borough’s entire road network.

The council’s teams use a route-based weather forecasting system to identify which roads need to be gritted at any particular time. This enables the council to grit roads only when needed and in turn is better for the environment, and saves money, with less salt used and fewer lorry journeys.

For the first time, the service will also be boosted by electric-powered sweepers helping to clear the roads as debris settles once the thaw takes places.

Cllr Grace Baynham (pictured), Cabinet Member for Parks, Highways and Transport Services, said:

“Our gritting teams do a fantastic job and will be busy making sure the routes which we treat ahead of any ice and snow have plenty of salt on them and are safe for drivers.

“We’re as prepared as we can be, but I would always advise everyone to do the same by checking the latest forecast before you travel and always driving according to the conditions, as even roads which have been gritted could be difficult during a snow shower.

“I’d urge residents to take care at all times as conditions could be more difficult on untreated surfaces – please take care, reduce speed, keep your distance.”