Ready, set, standby: Winter maintenance has begun at Essex Highways

Gritter crews on hand to keep county’s road network moving safely throughout the colder months.

Essex Highways’ Winter Service began on Monday 18th October with highway gritter teams now on standby to keep the roads of Essex in a safe condition during the colder months.

Councillor Lee Scott, Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance and Sustainable Transport at Essex County Council, said: “Throughout our winter maintenance period, our gritter crews are on standby. Long-range weather forecasts cannot always tell us with any reliability what sort of winter weather we may get. Last winter in Essex we carried out 90 gritting actions, 42 more than the year before, and we are aware the county could face similar episodes this winter, so our message is: ‘We are prepared’.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our gritter team for the vital work they do to keep our road network moving safely throughout the winter months.”

Drivers have refreshed their knowledge of gritted routes and vehicle systems by practice driving them. Essex Highways grit 40 per cent of the county road network - National Highways grit the A12, A120, M11 and M25 and Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock Councils grit their own roads.

Roadside salt bins for use by local residents have just been re-filled where necessary, with approximately 36 tonnes of salt being added across Essex. Should it be necessary, residents can also help their neighbours and local community by carefully clearing snow from their own local pavements. You can read guidance about how to do this safely on Essex Highways' ‘clearing snow and ice yourself’ web page.

To find out more, take a look at our 2021 Winter Service video above.

Residents can check the roads we grit on our online map. Further information is also available on our Winter Service webpages and you can follow daily gritter decisions on the Essex Highways Twitter account at @essexhighways.