Gritters ready for action in Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire's gritting crew will be spotted driving across the county this week, as they carry out a trial run ahead of winter.

The gritters, quad bikes and crews will be out on the roads on Tuesday and Wednesday evening (20 October and 21 October). It is vital the trial run is carried out to make sure the drivers re-familiarise themselves with the routes and any alterations, as well as make sure there are no problems.

Covid-19 precautions such as cleaning of vehicles and social distancing means the test will be carried out over two nights this year, to ensure the safety of our crews.

Buzz Ice Year and David Grittenborough are just two of our 37 gritters, including one busway gritter, which will be on the roads from 7pm onwards across the county. The quad bike twins will also be working on cycle routes in Cambridge City.

Last year crews went out 33 times, with many of them working throughout the night and early hours of the mornings.

All vehicles will be travelling slowly with warning lights and no grit will be used for the test run across these two nights.

Councillor Ian Bates, Chairman of Cambridgeshire County Council's Highways and Transport Committee, said:

"Our gritters provide a vital service to help keep Cambridgeshire roads safe throughout the colder months. It's important that we have this trial run to make sure everything runs smoothly so they're prepared for when we need them out on the roads.

"I'd like to encourage anyone who is interested in volunteering to do so or find out more information on our website. If you'd like to give some of your time to the community to help keep others safe, this is an excellent way to do it."

• wisbech
• cambridgeshire