Come ice, snow or frost, Leicestershire County Council is prepared for winter, with 18,500 tonnes of salt stored in grit barns across the county ready for when temperatures start to fall. Nearly half of the county’s network is gritted in response to harsh weather conditions - that’s around 1,300 miles of highway. The team made the first of their rounds this weekend.

The grit is stored at barns in Melton, Misterton, Mountsorrel, Market Harborough and Nailstone, where 23 gritters are ready to roll out when needed to keep the county’s roads moving. During the last winter season from 2022 to 2023, the county council’s gritting team carried out 62 runs of its 17 routes, using a whopping 7,779 tonnes of salt to keep the roads safe.

In snowy conditions, there are also a number of snow wardens based in communities across the county who help grit paths. Farmers also get involved and, during deep snowfall, fit ploughs to their tractors and assist the council in clearing roads.

Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, cabinet member for highways and transport, said:

“Our team are busy monitoring the roads round-the-clock every winter. If freezing temperatures are forecast, our fleet of gritters are ready to treat major roads and key routes."

“With our officers, local farmers and snow wardens working together, we’ll make sure that Leicestershire stays moving.”

Keep up to date with the latest information on gritting and travel, including our interactive gritting map on the county’s website. Here, residents can also see advice on how to stay well this winter, and how they can get support on food and fuel costs.

The county council is also encouraging residents and businesses to be ‘flood aware’ following the heavy rainfall that caught the county recently.

“Our advice is to stay safe and don’t take unnecessary risks and never drive or walk through flood water,“ said Mr O’Shea.