Gritting services to start next week as winter descends upon us

It provides a framework for council officers when deciding which roads - if any - need to be treated to help minimise the impacts of frost, ice and snow each day in the winter months.
It will run for 22 weeks from October 27 until March 29, however can be extended if sub-zero temperatures continue.
It incorporates weather forecasts provided by London-based MeteoGroup to predict where the worst weather will be, including 24-hour forecasts, evening updates, site specific temperature graphs at three points in West Berkshire, early morning summaries, preliminary forecasts and two to five day forecasts.
In addition, there will also be sensors monitoring the temperature of road surfaces on the M4 at Membury and Chieveley, the A4 at Halfway and the A34 at East Ilsley.
However, the A34 and M4 are the responsibility of the Highways Agency and gritting services on these routes are not managed by West Berkshire Council.
Included in the council’s primary footway network are major town and village centres, footways to
NHS surgeries, West Berkshire Community Hospital, schools and other key public buildings.
West Berkshire Council will provide updates on its website, at www.westberks.gov.uk, and via social media as to when gritting and other winter services on local roads are taking place.
Volker Highways will be the contractor for the council’s winter service plan, as per previous years.
Last year, the primary road network was treated on 51 occasions, with approximately 2,750 tonnes of salt used throughout the
winter.