Mild winter for Telford gritters who were sent out just 46 times
Winter maintenance teams in Telford have had their quietest season since 2006, with gritters being sent out less than half as much as last year.
In the winter of 2017/18, gritters were sent out 113 times, spreading more than six tonnes of salt.
But with this years mild winter, they were only used 46 times, and spread about two tonnes of salt.
Telford & Wrekin Council said it had also received a quarter of the reports of potholes compared to last year.
From January to March, 486 potholes were reported and repaired which compares to 2,186 in the same period the previous winter.
Angie Astley, Telford & Wrekin Council’s assistant director for customer and neighbourhood services, said: “I would like to say a big thank you to all our winter maintenance teams and snow wardens for their work this winter in keeping the borough moving and road users safe.”
Gritters were out on the Telford roads unseasonably early in October 2018.
Road temperatures dropped to as low as -2C(28.4F) in the final days of October, the earliest they were needed since 2012.
The towns 670 grit bins as part of the preparations.
There were concerns that it could have been a bad winter after similar conditions in 2012 saw several long-lasting snow events – two in January, one in February and one in March which continued for two weeks, including over the Easter period and into April.
Gritters use Met Office forecasts to decide whether or not their services will be needed.
They check MetDesk weather forecasts and anticipated road surface temperatures at lunch times and again in the evening every day.
The forecasts are coupled with information from the local Crudgington weather station to make decisions on whether gritting is needed.
Once on the street, gritters routinely treat more than 400 kilometres of roads, including bus routes and access roads for emergency services, schools, industrial estates and villages.
