8/1/2010 - Cumbria further boosts salt stocks for road gritting : Cumbria County Council

Cumbria County Council is receiving another 2,000 tonnes of industrial salt to help keep the county's roads safe and gritted.

The industrial salt is being mixed with small rock particles to form a salty grit which performs the same function as rock salt, which is in short supply nationally.

Stocks of rock salt in Cumbria currently stand at 1,664 tonnes, but there is a further 2,800 tonnes of industrial salt currently available. By mixing the industrial salt with the small rock particles, it boosts the overall volume of the spreadable material - meaning around 9,600 tonnes of salty grit will soon be available to spread on the county's lower priority roads, so conserving the remaining rock salt the county has for treating the 1,500 miles of essential priority one and two routes.

It is difficult to predict how long the current stocks of rock salt will last for as the amount of salt used to treat priority one and two routes differs every day depending on weather conditions. It is also difficult to predict whether Cumbria will receive more rock salt as supplies are now being co-ordinated by the Department for Transport. In the last three days Cumbria has used just over 2,600 tonnes of rock salt.

If supplies of rock salt run out, then one option would be to treat the main priority roads with the salty grit mixture.

Third priority routes and minor roads with salt heaps and grit bins on them are continuing to be treated with sea washed stone chippings from a local Cumbrian supplier. The small fragments of rock are helping vehicles to gain some traction on the roads compacted with snow and ice.

The council's fleet of gritters and road maintenance vehicles have been systematically replenishing the county's 9,500 salt heaps and grit bins with the salty grit mixture. The county council is aiming to revisit and replenish every single grit bin and salt heap by Sunday January 10th.

Despite pleas to the public for these stocks to be used sensibly and on public highways rather than private property, there have been numerous reports of people acting irresponsibly and instantly emptying the grit bins and salt heaps to use for them for their own private properties and driveways. One instance of a member of the public emptying a bin and then trying to sell it on to other members of the public has been reported to the police.

The county council is appealing to people to think of everyone in their community and use the salt for public highways and footways as, once the 9,500 salt heaps and grit bins have been replenished, they can't be refilled again until salt resources and manpower allows.

The county council is also making supplies of the salty grit mix available to parish and district councils so they can help spread it in the areas of most need.

Councillor Tony Markley, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member responsible for highways, said: "We're managing our salt stocks sensibly in the face of national supply problems of rock salt. This is allowing us to continue to treat our main priority routes and keeping the county moving as much as possible. There's a huge amount of work going on to keep our roads and communities as safe as possible, and this involves everyone clubbing together to cope with the adverse conditions and also looking out for vulnerable friends and neighbours. We'll continue to update the public as the situation develops."

Drivers are advised to follow this checklist before going out:

All lights clean and working, washer bottle full (use a little window antifreeze).

Clean mirrors and windows inside and out.

Tyres at the right pressure with plenty of tread.

Battery fully charged and topped up.

Full tank of petrol so that the engine and heater can keep running if the vehicle becomes stuck.

Your journey - don't take risks:

Watch the weather forecast and try to use gritted roads.

Don’t use roads which are closed - you will put yourself and others in danger and abandoned vehicles hamper snow clearance.

Tell someone at your destination what time you expect to arrive.

Do not use a mobile phone while driving. Stop somewhere safe or ask a passenger to make the call.

Your survival kit - keep these things in your car:

Thick jumper, warm coat, boots, thick gloves, blanket, mobile phone, hot drink in a flask, energy boosting food, cloth, pen, good torch and a shovel.

If possible, include a tow rope, jump leads, some sand and a solid wooden board for the jack. If you have to leave your vehicle to get help, make sure other drivers can see you.

For winter maintenance purposes, Cumbria’s road network is divided into first, second and third priority routes. First priority routes are gritted within three hours, second priority routes are gritted within five hours and third priority routes are gritted only during periods of prolonged icy conditions and when the first and second priority roads are clear.

Third priority routes tend to be more minor routes in rural areas and account for around a third of the county’s highways network.

Cumbria has a network of nine depots, 30 gritters and around operating around the county. Cumbria Highways winter maintenance teams are on call 24 hours a day during high season and operate from a series of depots across the county.

For more information on Cumbria's winter maintenance programme including details on how quickly routes are gritted and which roads are given priority visit http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/roads-transport/highways-pavements/highway-maintenance/wintermaintenance/roadswinter.asp

Cumbria Highways is the partnership between Cumbria County Council, Capita Symonds, Amey and Connect Roads that maintains and improves Cumbria’s road network.