19/2/2009 - Cumbria replenishes grit stocks in face of national shortage : Cumbria County Council

Cumbria County Council has brought in 4,000 tonnes of salt to help replenish stocks for gritting the county's roads and footways.

Nationally, supplies of rock salt have been running very low due to the recent bout of extreme winter weather. Councils around the country have seen stocks depleted and have struggled to replenish them as demand has soared at salt suppliers.

In Cumbria, the 8,000 tonnes of rock salt stored before the cold snap which began around the middle of January was reduced to just over 3,000 tonnes after an extensive gritting programme. A normal day's gritting run in the county would use around 250 tonnes of rock salt, but this can increase to 1,500 tonnes a day in extreme icy or snow conditions.

Stocks have now more than doubled thanks to the delivery of 4,000 tonnes of industrial salt to six of the county's main depots including Skirsgill, Lillyhall, Dalston, Kirkby Stephen, Alston and Brampton. The salt is white and looks just like table salt, as opposed to the light brown rock salt usually used on roads.

Scientists working for Cumbria Highways have been conducting tests on the salt to see how it can be mixed with rock salt and grit to produce the right mixture for spreading on roads and footways. The new mixture will be distributed from the network of nine depots and 30 gritters operating around the county. It is also being put in the 1,600 salt heaps and bins across Cumbria.

Although industrial salt costs slightly more than rock salt it performs the same function in that it absorbs moisture in the air and forms a briney solution which has a lower freezing point than water and therefore stops ice forming on the roads. Like rock salt, it is most effective if spread before freezing conditions kick in, which is why the county's high-tech system of weather stations, road surface temperature sensors and information on wind direction and cloud cover is essential for getting the gritters to the right place at the right time.

Stocks of salt will be closely monitored over the coming weeks as another cold spell is predicted after this weekend. Due to the national shortage of salt, and as a contigency measure, the county council will be assessing which roads and footways need to be gritted on a day-by-day basis and some routes may be gritted less frequently than usual if stocks become low. Further updates will be provided if this becomes necessary.

Cllr Alan Clark, Cumbria County Council's Cabinet member responsible for highways and transportation, said:

"The national shortage of grit has been widely publicised, but we are being as prepared as we can be in Cumbria. Hopefully the recent bout of warmer weather will continue and any contingency measures won't be necessary. We have significantly increased our salt supplies, but the national shortage means we can't guarantee that we will have enough to carry out the normal levels of gritting for the rest of the winter. Fortunately, we are in a far better situation in Cumbria than many other areas of the country in terms of stockpiles."