Gritters on standby from Thursday as winter weather closes in

Notts County Council’s gritting teams will then go on 24/7 standby as of November 1.

The council says its four salt barns are already full to the brim, giving it 12,000 tonnes more salt stockpiled than official government recommendations, putting Nottinghamshire in a strong position for dealing with the worst of the winter weather.

Checking and refilling of the 1,300 roadside grit bins for which the county council is responsible has already begun and deliveries of salt to parish councils are planned for November.

“Our planning for winter carries on all year round and we are confident that we are in a stronger position than ever to deal with winter,” said Coun Kevin Greaves, chairman of the transport and highways committee.

“Our preparations mean that we will be ready to act as soon as any bad weather arrives.

Coun Greaves added: “Like most people we keep our fingers crossed and hope that the coming winter won’t be too severe, but we have to be realistic and plan for the worst.

“The county council gives high priority to winter maintenance and we are determined to keep our county on the move this winter.”