THE county’s fleet of gritters are out and undertaking their first trial runs to make sure Herefordshire is winter ready.
The council has 15 frontline gritters on standby for 24 hours, seven days a week until the end of March 2025. This it will ensure that the public are kept safe and that the roads will be ready too grit, making it accessible to the community.
The trial runs are crucial to prepare for securing a safe environment for residents, due to the predicted cold winter ahead.
The trials have allowed the council and its partners, Balfour Beatty Living Places, to act upon any changes which may need to be made.
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Councillor Barry Durkin, cabinet member for highways, reported that the council already has a strong winter maintenance plan to maintain its transport connections.
In previous years, the local authority became aware that the winter can be challenging because of weather conditions constantly varying.
Mr Durkin advises that no matter what the weather conditions are like, the public should still be self-aware and take care when on the roads and pavements.
Simon Robinson, the operations manager for Balfour Beatty Living Places said that the preparation team have been becoming accustomed to the new weather forecast provider, monitoring the priority routes (596 miles of road) and secondary routes (420 miles of road).