Gritters on standby as Sheffield prepares for snow

Gritters on standby for snow in Sheffield.

The council's Streets Ahead team is on standby 24 hours a day in winter weather, in case of snow and ice.

Sheffield’s two salt barns are also already full, holding 17 tonnes of salt, in preparation for dealing with whatever the weather might have in store over the coming days.

And they may well be needed tonight, with up to four inches of snow forecast in the next 24 hours.

Streets Ahead operations manager Lynsey Connelly said: “We look after over 600 miles of urban and rural roads in Sheffield. October was the start of our winter maintenance period and our fleet is prepared.

“Our winter maintenance service operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week, whenever the weather demands and we’re well prepared for the winter ahead. We plan for winter well in advance and have a good stock of salt, as well as a team of drivers on hand ready to take to the roads when the bad weather arrives.

“This year will also see us using new technology on board our gritters, which will provide automatic routing, like a SatNav, as well as automatic gritting too.

“This will help to improve our winter maintenance service as the navigation system guides the driver along the pre-programmed route and the spreading of grit happens automatically, saving the driver time manually adjusting the settings.”

The council's cabinet member for environment Bryan Lodge added:“Our gritting teams work really hard to make sure that we keep Sheffield’s roads moving during the winter months and they do a great job.

“We’re really keen to spread the message about how local people can also help themselves by using their nearest grit bin to help keep local residential streets clear and also looking out for elderly neighbours in times of bad weather.

"Residents are also urged to check their nearest grit bins regularly throughout the winter months and let us know if they need filling so that there’s always grit available.”

For more information about gritting routes and winter driving advice, visit www.sheffield.gov.uk/winter. Follow @sccstreetsahead on Twitter for real-time updates during bad weather and to report empty grit bins.

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