With winter in the air, Surrey County Council stockpiles salt
6:00am Tuesday 16th October 2012 in News By Laura Proto
In preparation to tackle ice and snow this winter, Surrey County Council’s salt stocks have swelled to 16,000 tonnes.
The stockpile is double what is needed in an average Surrey winter and 40 per cent more than was used to keep the county moving last season.
The huge heap is also more than enough to see Surrey through a winter similar to 2010-11, which gripped Britain with the worst weather for more than 30 years.
John Furey, Surrey County Council’s cabinet member for transport and environment, said: “We’ll be working around the clock to keep Surrey moving, but the reality is we can’t treat every road in Surrey.
“This is why we’re working with farmers, district and borough councils and asking residents to play their part in helping to tackle ice and snow.”
Last winter the council treated an extra 107 miles of road and this will continue this winter.
A review of gritting routes has led to improvements, meaning the council’s 39 gritting lorries can spend more time treating roads and less time travelling to and from depots to pick up salt.
An army of 51 farmers will also support the winter operation by clearing roads in more rural areas.
