Gritters gear up for winter

Around 24,000 tonnes of salt have been stockpiled to help keep Cumbria's roads open this winter.

Cumbria County Council says £3.7m has been set aside to fund its winter maintenance operations and a 33-strong fleet of gritters is on standby to treat priority roads when the cold weather bites.

Gritters were in action over the weekend as the temperature dropped below zero.

The council’s gritting service operates 24/7. Priority 1 routes, which include many main roads across the county, are treated in less than three hours during freezing conditions. Priority 2 routes, which include A, B and C roads, will be treated in five hours.

Latest updates on which routes will be treated during periods of snow and frosty weather can be found online at cumbria.gov.uk/gritting or on Twitter via @CumbriaGritters