True grit: 3,000 tonnes of salt stockpiled to keep Shropshire’s roads moving this winter

Weather experts are constantly on the alert round the clock to keep track of any sudden storms, snow or drops in temperature – and the gritter team is poised and ready to make motorways and main roads throughout the region safe.

Highways England is asking for drivers to avoid making silly manoeuvres around their trucks on the motorways after 36 of their gritters were damaged in crashes nationwide last year.

Frank Bird, emergency planning officer for Highways England, said: “Severe weather is our biggest event of the year. We invest a lot in the kit we have available.

“But please allow enough time to get to where you’re going in bad weather. Better to be 15 minutes late in this life than early in the next.”

Karen Smith-Storer has been driving gritters for Highways England for 11 years – and whether she’s facing sudden snow or thick sheets of ice, she is prepared to go out on a moment’s notice.

The 39-year-old said much about the job has changed in the last decade, but the most important elements have stayed the same.

The systems in place now mean there’s rarely a time when there are not hours, if not days of notice, when bad weather is coming in.

And automated ordering systems means there’s never going to be a shortage of salt for the roads.

But there’s one thing Karen said does need to change – the dangerous manoeuvres some motorists try when faced with a gritter on the motorway.

Whether it is down the M54, or even further into the West Midlands, poor drivers are putting both Highways England staff and other motorists at risk.

Karen, who is based out of Highways England’s Telford base, said she often sees silly driving on the roads.

“You get used to what the public do, but we do get the odd person who surprises you,” she said. “I’ve been overtaken and undertaken simultaneously by lorries while I’ve got a plough on the front of the gritter. That was a scary moment.

“You prepare for what the public are going to do. The only thing is we get undertaken a lot on the motorways, and we’d rather be overtaken.”

That is especially true on larger three-lane motorways – with many drivers taking to the hard shoulder to avoid getting salt on their car.

It’s a dangerous tactic which Karen says is a complete waste of time.

“Our salt does go to the hard shoulder anyway, so they’re not escaping it,” she said.

“Sometimes you might find there’s a pedestrian on the hard shoulder at night though. Maybe their car has broken down, they have no lights on. Next thing you know the driver has run into them. A little bit of patience is all that’s needed.”

How the gritters keep roads clear

• Gritters can weigh up to 26 tonnes and travel at 40mph when spreading salt. They travel in the middle of the motorway to make sure the right amount of salt is spread.

• There are more than 60 winter vehicles on stand-by across the region.

• There is 280,000 tonnes of salt ready to be used across England this year.

• Last year 36 Highways England gritters were driven into by out of control vehicles

• Highways England said there was a problem of drivers using the hard shoulder to undertake gritters.

Karen has seen it all during her 11 years. As one of the first female employees at Highways England Telford, she has stuck it through bitter winters.

“The gritters change, but what we do stays the same,” she said. “Snow falls, ice forms, we salt it, we plough it.

“It is managed very well. With all the systems in place, you’ll be told a couple of hours before what to expect.

“It could be 1pm and someone will call you and tell you what you can expect and then, at exactly the time you were told, you’ll be rolling out the gate.

“We monitor the weather forecast a lot, then we’re prepared.

"I enjoy it. We have a good variety of jobs over the year. We put out cones, do litter picking, mend barriers and clear up after accidents. We play a major role in keeping the network safe.”

Karen is already looking forward to the coming months, despite last year’s Beast from the East hitting hard.

“Last year was good,” she said. “It was difficult but it was a good learning curve. No two days are ever the same.

“Some reports are saying it could be as bad again this year. You just roll with it, take it as it comes.”