Praise for Northumberland gritting teams

Gritting teams across Northumberland have been praised for doing a sterling job in keeping the county moving during the snap of cold winter weather over the last week.
Snow in Northumberland. Picture by Tony RobsonSnow in Northumberland. Picture by Tony Robson
Snow in Northumberland. Picture by Tony Robson

Gritters were out covering routes every day – and on three occasions teams worked through the night to keep on top of snow and icy roads.

Routes were gritted 377 times, using a total of 2,528 tonnes of salt, and a typical gritter travelled up to 1,500 miles during the week.

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Coun Glen Sanderson, cabinet member for environment and local services, said: “Our priority is always to keep people safe and the roads of Northumberland open and we have teams of staff working round the clock to ensure this happens.

“The efforts of staff last week to keep the roads and key footpaths clear were to be congratulated and my thanks go to them all.

“Our teams study forecast information very closely and plan services accordingly, however as with all weather forecasts it is not entirely possible to know where problems could occur.

“It is always best to be prepared and we remind members of the public to always take a little extra care when travelling in winter conditions.”

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A number of positive comments were received from members of the public who were appreciative of the work done by council teams.

The council has more than 100 staff involved in winter services, with access to 37,000 tonnes of salt and 28 multi-purpose gritters, covering in excess of 3,000 miles of county road.

Depending on how the forecasts and conditions develop, gritters are fitted with ploughs to deal with snow conditions and local agricultural contractors are also mobilised as required.

You can keep up to date with winter services via the council’s social media channels - Northumberland Alerts - on Facebook and Twitter.

During winter weather, problem areas such as untreated roads, icy footpaths and empty grit bins can be reported to council teams via the Report section of www.northumberland.gov.uk