Date published: 2025-11-18 | Category: Delivering for local residents, Roads, travel and transport
Bath & North East Somerset Council’s nine gritting lorries have been out on their first run since March as road surface temperatures dropped below freezing overnight on 17 November.
The lorries went out at 6pm, prioritising bus routes and roads providing access to schools and hospitals.
Councillor Lucy Hodge, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Transport Delivery, said: “We’re ready to provide a round-the-clock winter service to help keep priority routes open for our residents when the temperatures drop.”
On average 57 gritting runs are carried out each winter, using roughly 2,600 tonnes of road salt, with each run using 45 tonnes to cover 425km of highway.
The council is well prepared for the colder months ahead with 1,800 tonnes of road salt ready in dry storage and checks and refills done for all its 434 grit bins.
As temperatures drop, the council’s Highways team will closely monitor specialist forecasts and data from its own weather stations to identify when low temperatures and weather conditions could pose a threat to road users.
The council’s gritting fleet is based at depots in Clutton and Keynsham Recycling Hub, with 18 specially trained drivers on stand-by to respond when required.
You can see a map of the council’s gritting routes and grit bin locations on the council’s website. If there is an empty grit bin in your area, let the council know by reporting it through its website.
The council will use the colder months to carry out road maintenance including repairing potholes, gritting and clearing gullies and drains. Highway patching and resurfacing works pause until the warmer, drier and more suitable weather of spring.
ENDS