GRITTING teams treated more than 5.500 miles of road across Warwickshire at the weekend – the equivalent to the length of the Great Wall of China.
This mirrored the work done over the Christmas holiday period. Operating from five depots across the county, the teams headed out 14 times from December 23, covering a total of 15,400 miles to combat icy conditions.
Around 46 per cent of Warwickshire’s highway network, approximately 1,100 miles, is treated whenever forecasts predict icy conditions.
Warwickshire County Council’s transport spokesperson Coun Jennifer Warren said: “We’re extremely grateful to our gritting teams who worked tirelessly over the weekend and throughout the Christmas period to help people travel safely.
“We’re often asked why some roads aren’t gritted. The reality is we can’t treat every road, so we prioritise key routes. And it’s important to remember that gritting isn’t a magic fix, it helps, but safe driving is essential.
“We continually update our data to ensure we grit the right roads at the right time. Where roads aren’t gritted, we work with local councils to provide salt bins for communities to use on footpaths.”
There are around 1,200 grit bins across Warwickshire, located mainly on roads away from precautionary gritted routes and on steep inclines. Residents’ associations and town councils can also request bins in agreed locations, which WCC refills before winter and as needed depending on the weather.
