National Highways has officially switches to autumn and winter operations, with meteorological experts from the Met Office and MetDesk closely monitoring weather forecasts “and are prepared for whatever conditions the autumn and winter season may bring”.
The Government-owned company says that, based on current weather forecasts, you are unlikely to see gritters spreading salt on the network any time soon, but Darren Clark, Severe Weather Resilience Manager at National Highways, commented: “October is always an important month, giving us the opportunity to test and refine our plans before severe weather conditions arrive later in the season.
“We operate a well-established daily routine. From 1 October, we receive forecasts and updates at various stages every day during the autumn and winter period. Our decision makers will meet and decide the course of action – even if it is to simply confirm ‘no action’ amid warmer conditions.
It may be during any warmer spells in October the public see our drivers doing ‘dummy runs’ where they take gritter vehicles out along their designated routes – without any salt on board – in order to re-familiarise themselves with their routes and identify any problems. And we’d encourage drivers to play their part in being prepared too.”
(Picture – National Highways)
