Before a flake of snow falls, or winter's first patch of ice is seen, gritters in Conservative-led East Sussex are poised to hit the county's roads this week as part of a major investment to keep the highways running.
Gritting vehicles are travelling along the most heavily used roads as part of the annual Operation Snowdrop, where East Sussex Highways fine-tunes its response to wintry weather.
Drivers will be checking the vehicles, re-familiarising themselves with all A roads across the county, and ensuring overgrown vegetation is not causing obstruction for the three-metre wide gritters.
Conservative Cllr Claire Dowling, Cabinet member for highways, says that the dry-run is important. "It gives everyone involved the opportunity to ensure everything is working as it should, and everyone knows their role so that when extreme weather arrives, we are ready to go."
Ready for what the weather may throw at us this winter, the Conservative-run authority has invested in 21 new gritters, having previously hired the vehicles. so the two drivers assigned to each need time to re-familiarise themselves with the gritters and the routes.
“As Operation Snowdrop gets underway, it's vital that home and landowners ensure that any hedges or trees on their property that overhang the road are cut back to allow ample room for a gritter to pass", adds Cllr Dowling.
Around 10,000 tonnes of dry rock salt is stored at the county’s five highways depot – Ringmer, Heathfield, Polegate, Cripps Corner and Maresfield, ready for use when the road surface falls close to or below freezing or when snow is forecast.
More information about East Sussex Highways’ winter service, details of gritting routes and advice on how to stay safe on the roads during wintry weather can be found at https://live.eastsussexhighways.com/services/services-winter-service
