Winter gritting

View priority routes and grit bins - the Highways Agency is responsible for the A19.

Please note, the green box indicate locations of a gritting bin.

We make decisions on:

• forecasts for each day
• information about road surface temperatures
• road temperature sensors

If necessary, we salt 240 miles of priority routes across the borough.

We get our forecasts and information from MeteoGroup - Europe's leading private weather company.

When treating roads and paths we:

• use salt as a de-icing agent (the most cost effective means of treatment)
• pre-salt and apply rock salt to roads to prevent frost and ice forming on the surface
• do so in advance of frosty conditions (normally between 6pm and 10pm)
• pre-salt depending on road surface temperature, dampness, air temperature and humidity
• apply salt between 4am and 8am, following rain through the night that may have washed the salt off the carriageway
• prioritise main roads first

During long periods of frosty weather, and if we have the resources, we try to treat pathways near schools and sheltered accommodation.

Find out how gritting works.