Lancashire's gritters out on the roads, as weather warning comes in
Temperatures are set to drop to -3 overnight
Lancashire County Council's gritting teams are gearing-up to keep the main roads moving as the county prepares for an icy spell over the coming days.
People are warned to expect icy conditions on the roads with the current freezing temperatures forecast to last until the weekend. Snow showers are also expected at times, and people are asked to check the latest forecast before they travel.
The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for snow and ice covering Lancashire from the early hours of Tuesday morning until Friday.
The council's gritting teams are treating the approximately 1,500 miles of the county council's priority road network this afternoon, and are on standby to deal with whatever weather comes in the following hours and days.
County Councillor Rupert Swarbrick, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "We're as well prepared as we can be to keep Lancashire's roads moving over the coming days, with our highways teams ready to grit and plough around the clock if necessary.
"The salt we put on the roads helps to prevent moisture from freezing but it won't make snow and ice instantly disappear, which means conditions could be difficult at times. It’s also important that people understand that we can't grit every road, which means some of them could become very icy and I'd ask people to think about whether their journey is necessary before setting out.
"We'll be gritting the main routes which make up around a third of the approximately 4,300 miles of roads in Lancashire, and our focus has to be to keep these roads moving. No council has the resources to grit and clear snow on every road."
Lancashire County Council has a fleet of 45 frontline gritters which can treat the approximately 1,500 miles of the county council's priority road network within around four hours, but may take longer in severe weather.
People who live on or near a gritting route are asked to park considerately and leave room for the gritters to get past, as poor parking often causes problems and can lead to routes not being fully treated.
People are also asked not to use more salt and sand from the county's almost 3,000 roadside grit bins than they need to, as they can only be refilled when resources are available, and keeping the main routes clear always has to be the top priority.
Agricultural contractors are also on standby to help clear more remote rural roads if necessary, and Lancashire's district councils are ready to treat the pavements in the busiest areas.
You can find out more about gritting in Lancashire, including which roads are gritted, and what you can do to prepare at lancashire.gov.uk/winter. You can also get the latest gritting updates and winter weather advice by searching #LancsWinter on X.
Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.