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22/12/2003 - Round the Clock Road Watch during Holidays

Cumbria County Council and Capita are working together to provide 24-hour cover for winter road maintenance and emergencies as usual throughout the Christmas and New Year holiday period. This means that major routes will continue to be treated in ice and snow conditions and that emergency road repairs will be dealt with as at other times.

Supervising staff will be present both daytime and night-time at the main highway operational depots in the county throughout the holiday period. Duty engineers will also be available and on call as required.

The 24-hour, seven-days-a-week Cumbria Highway Hotline on 0845 609 6609 will operate throughout Christmas and New Year and urgent repairs and other emergencies will be dealt with as soon as possible. 

The supervisory staff have access to all the resources used to provide the winter maintenance and emergency services.  The operational workforce is available on call and standby.

Winter maintenance   

The Met Office will continue to provide Capita with 24-hour and two-to-five day weather forecasts through the Ice Prediction System.

When road frost or icy conditions are forecast Capita teams will grit roads listed as first priority within three hours of work getting under way.  On second priority roads the teams will complete gritting within five hours. Other roads will not normally be treated. However, in periods of prolonged severe weather, when resources are available and the higher priority routes are clear, treatment of other roads will be undertaken if possible.

After snowfall, first and second priority roads will be cleared first. Next priority is to open up access into other areas. Resources are not available to clear snow from the entire highway network immediately. 

The time taken to clear roads will depend on the severity and extent of snowfalls and the availability of resources. Additional resources will be brought in. Remote locations may remain isolated for longer periods. 

Emergency situations will be dealt with in conjunction with Cumbria Police.

Winter driving

Roads are more dangerous in the winter. Lower speeds are often called for. During prolonged wet weather water running off fields can lead to icy patches, especially on untreated minor roads.

Motorists are advised to check that:

  • All lights are clean and working
  • Mirrors and windows are clean
  • Tyres are at right pressure and have plenty of tread
  • Battery is charged and topped up
  • Diesel engines have winter grade fuel    

Don’t take risks on the journey:

  • Listen to weather forecasts and try to use treated roads
  • Don‘t use roads which are closed    

Drive safely:

  • On ice, slow down, use highest gear possible and steer and brake gently
  • In fog, use dipped headlights, rear fog lights if visibility is less than 100 metres, make sure you can stop within the distance you can see.
  • In rain, use dipped headlights, keep speed down and stay well back from vehicle in front. 
  • In flood, slow down but keep revs high
  • In snow, reduce speed, spread salt and grit in front of wheels if a grit bin is nearby when you can’t get started.