LGA warns winter gritting could be affected by shortage of drivers
The shortage of gritter drivers in the UK could affect roads being gritted in the winter as well, according to the Local Government Association (LGA). Heightened by the pandemic and Brexit, the nationwide shortage of HGV drivers has been blamed for the recent fuel shortage and short supply of food on shelves in supermarkets. The estimated shortfall of […]
Lincolnshire gritters ready for the off
Lincolnshire County Council is gearing up to keep Lincolnshire moving when the winter weather comes. From October 1st the council started to monitor the weather 24/7, and our fleet of 43 gritters will be ready to go when road surface temperatures drop to around 0.5°C. Its gritting routes cover nearly 2,000 miles of highway, including […]
National Highways get delivery of 120 new gritters to help keep drivers safe
A total of 120 new gritting vehicles will be delivered to National Highways this year helping keep traffic moving this winter. The new vehicles are part of a two-year roll-out of state-of-the-art gritters across the country with a further 132 more to come for winter 2022-23. Regions receiving new gritters this year are: Kent, Surrey, […]
Durham looks ahead to winter with preparations already under way
Preparations for keeping roads in County Durham moving this winter are ‘well underway’, according to the council. It is making sure its fleet of gritters and winter maintenance vehicles are ready to go when needed. Durham’s winter maintenance team is making sure that salt barns across the county are stocked with 42,000 tonnes of salt […]
Nottinghamshire County Council stocks up for the winter ahead
Nottinghamshire County Council has already prepared for the winter ahead by stocking its salt barns with 18,000 tonnes of grit. This is nearly 7,000 tonnes more than the nationally-recommended amount and enough to carry out four gritting runs every day, for three weeks. The 2020-21 winter season saw 109 outings for the 30-strong fleet of […]
BEAR Scotland marks one year of managing South East Scotland’s trunk roads with 365 days of achievement
In the 356 days since BEAR Scotland took over responsibility for the trunk roads in South East Scotland, it has delivered over £26.7m of investment in safety, surfacing and other improvements and recruited over 100 new staff in addition to those who transferred from the previous operating companies. On 16 August 2020 BEAR Scotland began […]
Econ to expand its operation with the development of new engineering facility
Gritter manufacturer, Econ, is to expand its operation further with the development of a new £7m engineering facility near Thirsk and create 50 new jobs. The family owned-business, based in North Yorkshire has bought a 24-acre site at Sowerby, 11-miles from its headquarters in Ripon. When completed, this new North Yorkshire base – which will […]
Safecote launches Making Winter Cycling Safer campaign
Winter service solutions company Safecote, has launched a new Making Winter Cycling Safer campaign in conjunction with Team GB kit manufacturer KALAS Sportswear. Working with Kalas and a number of UK cycling groups/forums, the company aims to promote the benefits of ensuring that cycleways are fit and open for daily use during the winter season […]
Council to change winter gritting routes to match ‘best practice’
Cheshire East Council has confirmed that changes to gritting routes will be implemented next winter following a review. The ‘Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure’ (WMHI) code of practice, which is overseen by the UK Roads Liaison Group on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT), recommended local highway authorities review gritting routes to prioritise the most critical parts […]
Transport Scotland searching for solution to ice forming on Queensferry Crossing
Transport Scotland has said it is struggling to find ways to stop ice forming on the deck of the Queensferry Crossing. It has said, according to a report in the Daily Record, that it has reviewed bridges across the world and found most operators simply close them and wait for ice to drop off. The […]
