Gritters get ready for possible snow blast

West Sussex County Council is ready to swing into action at any point should temperatures plummet and bring snow or ice to the roads.

The Met Office is forecasting the possibility of snow falling on higher ground and ice forming in some parts of the county on Tuesday evening from 6pm.

The County Council can call upon a fleet of 25 gritters to keep the roads safe during spells of severe weather.

So far this winter our gritters have already:

• Gone out to salt West Sussex roads on 17 separate runs;

• Salted 17,000 miles of the county’s road network;

• Used 2,250 tons of salt.

Contractor Balfour Beatty has stockpiled 10,500 tonnes of salt at the County Council depots in Drayton, Clapham and Jobs Lane, near Hickstead in preparation for bad weather.

County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Pieter Montyn, said: “We are fully prepared for any cold weather and ready to go.

“Our priority is to keep major routes treated and passable during severe weather.

“We constantly monitor the weather conditions and as soon as we see road surface temperatures getting towards zero, we make arrangements.”