County council gets ready for winter

Warwickshire County Council is enlisting a team of Voluntary Snow Wardens for the first time this year as part of its preparations for winter.

After two severe winters, the county council has stepped up its resilience to the weather by stockpiling 14,000 tonnes of salt, five thousand more than previous years.

A report to last nights Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee includes the results of a survey of parish and town councils which shows an 83 per cent satisfaction rate with the winter maintenance service provided by the authority.

Cllr Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Councils Portfolio Holder for Environment and Economy, said: Our current winter services are of high standard when compared to similar authorities. It is clear that we have continued to provide an effective service even in the harshest winters.

Our gritting teams are real unsung heroes, and work extremely hard in all weathers and at all times of the day and night to try to keep Warwickshire moving safely.

The introduction of Voluntary Snow Wardens from parishes will keep residents informed at a local level and assist with implementing Warwickshires Severe Weather Plan by planning and responding to the demands of the situation.

Several new roads on the Warwick Gates estate have this year been added to the countys Primary Gritting Routes.

Warwick South ward councillor Angela Warner campaigned to ensure that the area was put on the gritting map. She said: Residents in Warwick Gates have struggled to beat the elements in the previous two winters, and now we will benefit from regular visits from the gritters to help keep the roads passable.

Another improvement to the service will be ensuring that customers are kept informed and signposted to the up-to-date gritting news, road temperatures and weather forecasts on the Warwickshire County Council website at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/gritting

Warwickshire County Council is responsible for a total network of 3,812km of roads and undertakes precautionary gritting to 46 per cent of the total highway network.

County Highways operates 26 gritters and replenishes 1,700 Parish-owned grit bins across the county.