Gritter crews complete the first official run of the season

Gritting crews took to the roads last night (Tuesday 28 November) for the first time this season to ensure that salt was spread on the designated routes to help keep Wirral safe and moving.

This follows the ‘dry run’ carried out by the team earlier this month.

Crews were called into action following detailed reports – provided under contract by Vaisala UK and MetDesk – showing that road surface temperatures were forecast to drop below zero with a likelihood of frost and ice.

As with every winter, Wirral Council has crews on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week until April, ready to spread rock salt on the main roads to minimise any impact there might be from ice or snow forming on the road surface.

In addition to the gritting done on the borough’s planned routes, grit bins are also in the process of being inspected, cleaned and refilled where necessary.

Grit bins are provided in some streets where regular salting of small areas of footpath and roads is needed. These are for use by the public, on public roads and pathways, and should not be used on private drives or paths.

For more information on our winter maintenance programme, and to see a map of our gritting routes, visit the council's website.