Wiltshire roads brace for cold snap
11:04am Friday 11th January 2013 in Latest News
Wiltshire Council's gritters are ready to roll
With temperatures set to plummet over the weekend Wiltshire Council is gearing up for further problems on the roads.
After a mild start to 2013 a cold snap is expected across the country, with sub-zero conditions likely across Wiltshire, and now that the county has borne the brunt of the winter’s flooding the council is preparing the roads for ice.
Dick Tonge, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We’ve been focused on flooding, but now the rivers are going down we turn our attention to the cold weather.
“We did some gritting earlier in the year when there was some bad weather, and we have sufficient salt so that won’t be a difficulty. The teams are all ready to go.
“We watch very carefully to see where the bad weather is going to hit and our teams get out and do the salting on the roads. We also have enough ploughs in case it snows, and we have arrangements in place with local farmers to clear the roads.”
The freezing conditions of the start of December caused many potholes on the roads of Wiltshire, but councillor Tonge is confident these will be repaired. He said: “We were granted an additional £2.4m from the government over and above our own budgets awarded just before Christmas, with £1.2m the year after that, so we are going to be working on the difficulties with the pot holes, with longer-term improvements later to come.
“The work is already happening now. As we find them they’re filled in, but we won’t do the major resurfacing until the weather improves.”
A spokeswoman from the Highways Agency said: "Our roads will be treated whenever there is a risk of ice or snow. However, even when roads have been treated, drivers should still take care, especially on stretches where the local road layout or landscape means there could be a greater risk of ice forming."
