County Durham is ready for winter

With temperatures set to drop, preparations for winter 2019 are well underway in County Durham.

Durham County Council is ready to keep the region moving this winter with a 76 strong fleet of gritters and snowblowers ready and waiting for the colder weather.

There are 42,000 tonnes of salt ready to tackle the ice and any snow, with over 2,380 salt bins located in key positions around the county to assist residents and businesses.

During normal winter conditions 1,700km of priority one roads, normally A or B roads, will be treated, covering 45 per cent of the road network. More minor routes, or priority two roads, will be treated in times of prolonged severe winter weather when the resources are available.

Mark Readman, Durham County Council’s highways services manager, said: “With the weather now turning cold, it’s important that we are ready for icy conditions on roads and footpaths.

“Preparations for colder weather have been underway for some time, but our winter maintenance programme for 2019/20 is now fully up and running.”

All 40 power gritters are fitted with 360-degree cameras to help improve safety and provide information on weather conditions.

To keep up to date on the council’s latest winter response follow @DurhamCouncil and the hashtag #TwitterGritterNE on Twitter, and like /durhamcouncil on Facebook.

To see a list of priority gritting routes, track gritters as they are out and about, see roadside weather cameras, and find information on which roads are affected by adverse weather visit www.durham.gov.uk/winterinfo.

And to find out where your nearest salt bin is, or request that it is refilled, visit www.durham.gov.uk/saltbins or call 03000 260000.