Councils report they are more than ready for winter, with over nine in 10 authorities saying they have more salt in stock this coming season or the same level as last year.

More than half of councils will share salt with neighbouring authorities, nearly one in three will share gritting machinery and one in six plan to work across geographical boundaries to dispatch operatives to key sites. In all, there is thought to be 1.5 million tonnes of salt stockpiled in England and Wales.

The findings come from the Local Government Association, which also found that almost eight in 10 authorities are looking to use GPS technology to manage gritting fleets, to make most efficient use of resources.

Most councils (84%) say they will provide local communities with grit bins to allow residents to help themselves to salt as they need it and six in 10 plan to use GPS enabled ‘gully suckers’ to keep gullies clear. Seventy nine highway authorities, around 45% of those asked, responded to the LGA request for information.

“Planning for winter remains a key priority for councils, despite ongoing funding pressures and competing demands on their limited resources,” says the LGA’s transport spokesman Martin Tett. “Across the country, local authorities have taken the steps necessary to protect their residents from floods, ice and wintry conditions.”

Latest developments in winter maintenance will feature in the January issue of Transportation Professional.

♦ Over 40,000 votes were cast in Doncaster in a competition to name the council’s new multi purpose vehicle used to spread salt, fill potholes and cut grass verges. The machine from manufacturer Multihog is now known locally as the ‘Gritsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Anti-Slip Machiney’, in homage to a song with a similar sounding name sung in 1959 by musician Brian Hyland and re-recorded in 1990 by a group featuring children’s entertainer Timmy Mallett.

(Photo courtesy of Brian Fagan and licenced for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence)