Storm Goretti: Councils in Shropshire bust myths over gritting ahead of 1,200-mile salt-spreading mission during snowy weather
More than 1,200 miles of road will be gritted in Shropshire to deal with the anticipated deluge of snow from Storm Goretti - and a number of myths have been busted.
Councils have been loading up Gritney Spears, Gritty Gritty Bang Bang and other amusingly named trucks ready to keep the county moving during this latest bout of adverse weather, which is expected to start this evening.
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However, some criticism was levelled at authorities when it snowed just after the new year, with claims that certain roads had not been treated.
Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council have now shared some of the key details about their operations ahead of the storm, and how gritting actually works.
Between the two councils, there is around 3,500 tonnes of salt in the reserves. Shropshire Council has around 1,500 tonnes of that - enough for 15 treatments - and has ordered more.
Telford & Wrekin Council spends about £500,000 on gritting during the winter season.
Lewis Elliot, from the council’s gritting team, shed a bit more light about what goes on.
“In addition to looking at forecasts and radars, we go out and inspect the network,” he said.
“We get out and inspect certain surfaces. These are primarily bridges and car parks.
“It’s a lot more complex than simply looking at the weather forecasts from the Met Office.
“On a typical, routine salting run, we send them out with 10g per sqm, which equates to roughly 30 tonnes.
“Grit on its own is often not enough. You need vehicle traffic to bed it in.
