We want you to travel as safely as possible during the winter and it's our aim to keep major roads free from ice and snow. In this section you can find information about staying safe during harsh weather. You can also track the gritters in real-time.

The gritting network

The gritting network covers around 1,900 miles/3,032km. This equates to approximately 40% of the highway network in Essex.

It includes:

• A roads (*excluding the A12, A120 and A130)
• B roads Primary roads which link rural parishes (of over 50 houses) to the gritting network Roads served by at least four public bus services a day for five days a week or more Roads linking sites of national importance (e.g. airports, ports and fuel refineries) to the gritting network Roads which allow emergency service stations access to the gritting network

    *Motorways and major trunk roads, such as the M25, M11, A12 and A120, are under the control of the Highways Agency. Tel: 0300 123 5000.

The A130 Chelmsford to Benfleet route is managed by County Route. Tel: 0845 3511130.

Routes we do not grit

Excluding exceptional circumstances, we do not grit: Minor roads or pavements in residential areas Low-use footways and cycle tracks

• This is to ensure that our salt stocks and manpower are focused on keeping the major routes clear and to deliver a consistent service across the county.

Furthermore, we do not treat areas that are not part of the public highway, such as car parks and parks. However, these may be treated by your local district, borough, parish or town council. Please contact them directly if you have a question regarding these areas.

Gritter tracking

You can see our fleet of vehicles in their current location.  Please note: Some of the vehicles are used on other duties during the day so they may be active on the map below.

 - Vehicle moving     - Vehicle stopped     - Vehicle engine on (not moving)

The live tracking map will be displayed here soon