Deciding to grit

During the winter, we get up-to-date weather forecasts which we use to decide when we need to grit. Gritters are put on standby in response to forecasts predicting icy conditions or snowfall. A decision is made in the afternoon for the next 24 hours. Where necessary, we can send them out 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

When deciding whether to plough or grit we look at if the road surfaces are wet or dry, how likely it is to rain or snow (based on a detailed forecast), and if there is any salt already on the roads from previous gritting runs.

If it will be 0 degrees Celsius at midnight, operatives get to depot 4 hours earlier to load trucks and salt roads, before it freezes. This is because the grit must be on the road before freezing temperatures)

Meet the gritters

We have 12 gritters and 2 backup gritters (in case of emergency).

It takes 45 minutes to load all 12 gritters.

Within 90 minutes of instruction to salt the roads, the gritters are loaded and up and ready to move.

Ploughing through heavy snow

During periods of heavy snow, we also use snow ploughs. If there is heavy snow forecast to stick, all available resources (including the many agricultural contractors who have snow ploughs fitted to their tractors) get to work. All the gritters are fitted with snow ploughs and each pass of the plough includes a salt spread to prevent snow from compacting together, making it easier to plough. There are 38 snow ploughing routes done by local contractors.

On the road

The Priority 1 route usually takes 3 hours to grit. It is 560 kilometres long, which is about 45% of the road network in Flintshire. Once the priority roads are clear, we move on to other roads and footways.

Treatment is carried out around the clock until priority routes are clear of snow and/or ice – including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

These treatments may take place continually based on forecast. If there is extreme snow on the ground, our 12 gritters will stick to the main routes.

How salt works