Council gets ready for another snowy winter

Kirklees Council’s Streetscene teams have been busy preparing for the onset of winter weather, with gritters hitting the road to ensure the teams are all set when the freeze arrives.

The fleet of 32 council gritters have been assessing the its priority network with a dry run to help crews check equipment and make sure there are no obstacles or problems on roads that were not there last winter.

The council has 25,000 tonnes of grit stored away - which it says is enough to cope with a harsh winter.

The teams are also filling grit bins so that people can help to clear ice and snow in the areas that gritters can’t normally reach.

Coun Peter McBride, cabinet member responsible for Streetscene said: “Volunteers were the unsung heroes of last winter, helping the more vulnerable members of the community by clearing areas such as residential homes, community centres and other key community services.

“Local farmers also joined the cause by using grit supplied by the council to grit routes to and from their farms and livestock to make sure milk and meat deliveries could continue, as well as keeping more rural properties accessible.

“These valuable contributions complemented the existing service offered by Streetscene and this teamwork is set to continue this year.”

The council has also started running its dedicated winter weather Twitter feed once again.

Follow @KirkleesWinter for updates.