Gritters ready as temperatures plunge across Melton borough

Sub-zero temperatures are set to blast the Melton borough this week and gritting crews are on standby to keep the roads moving.
Gritters are primed and ready as temperatures plunge in the Melton borough EMN-181121-155345001Gritters are primed and ready as temperatures plunge in the Melton borough EMN-181121-155345001
Gritters are primed and ready as temperatures plunge in the Melton borough EMN-181121-155345001

Leicestershire County Council has 23 gritters and drivers who go out spreading roughly 170 tonnes of rock salt across key routes.

Three new state-of-the-art gritters, with GPS systems which provide automatic grit spreading and route navigation, have been added to the fleet at a cost of £400,000.

Six other gritters have also been refurbished with this new technology.

With the nights getting longer and the temperatures dropping, the gritters have been out nine times since the end of October, and they were due to go out again last night (Wednesday).

The council’s grit barns, including one at Melton, are stocked up with 18,500 tonnes of rock salt.

Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “We monitor the weather constantly and if freezing temperatures are forecast, our gritters will be ready to treat key routes, equating to almost half of the county’s road network.”