Gritting lorries will be out in force

GRITTERS have been out across the county throughout today ensuring that minor routes on Devon’s secondary salting network are salted as the cold spell continues.

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Temperatures have remained low during the day and they are expected to plummet again overnight, with the lowest road surface temperatures in the county expected to reach -7.

The county’s gritting teams will again be working throughout the night to keep primary routes as safe and clear as possible. They will be carrying out a countywide treatment of the main network this afternoon from 2:30pm and again at 2am. In total, around 2,000 miles of roads on the combined primary and secondary salting networks will be salted, providing reasonable access to treated roads for more than 90% of Devon residents.

Conditions are expected to be drier than yesterday, but road users are still being reminded to take extreme care when travelling as ice from water runoff or melted snow may form even on treated roads, which could cause problems particularly off the main road network.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: “This is the first time this winter that we’ve faced the prospect of ongoing freezing temperatures and all of our teams are working hard to keep Devon moving on our road network. The temperatures are falling even lower than last night, and while it helps that it’s not combined with snow and sleet, there may still be icy patches in some places. Motorists must take extreme care if they are considering travelling, even on roads that have been salted, and pedestrians should take care on pavements.”

The County Council has so far used around 5,000 tonnes of salt on the county’s road network this winter.

Motorists are being reminded of the following advice:

• Avoid overnight travel unless absolutely essential as roads will always be more hazardous at night with less traffic and colder temperatures;

• Never assume a road has been salted. Remember that showers or rain will wash salt off roads leaving them prone to ice, and in extreme cold even salting will not stop ice from forming;

• Allow additional time for your journey and reduce your speed;

• Drive with care and according to the conditions;

• If you have vulnerable or elderly neighbours, think about how they could possibly be helped through the cold spell;

• Listen to local radio for updates on current weather conditions.

For more information and travel advice visit: www.devon.gov.uk/winter_travel