Argyll and Bute Council "is ready for winter"

Argyll and Bute Council is well prepared for winter with thousands of tonnes of salt already in stock and the roads team doing a dry run to make sure all equipment and treatment routes are tested before any bad weather.

There are 17,700 tonnes of salt already – this in an increase of 70 percent from before. The council has a fleet of 33 vehicles capable of gritting and ploughing roads. We will get delivery of another 8 in December bringing the total number of snowploughs to 41. Each lorry is capable of carrying between 2 and 11 tonnes of salt. All equipment has been serviced and tested by the roads team and they are ready to go.

Gritter driver William Holmes said “we are first on the road when there’s been heavy snowfall and although there can be some beautiful views there are still some very real dangers. Despite the snow and icy conditions many people drive too fast. Remember even if the gritter has been, it will take a couple of cars to go over the grit to really make it effective so my advice would be to slow down.”

There are more than 300 grit bins and thousands of salt heaps across Argyll and Bute so you can spread salt on local pavements and roads. Salt will be available for you at roads depot gates and will be restricted to one 20 kg bag per person.

Spokesperson for transport and infrastructure, Councillor Duncan MacIntyre said, “This year’s plan to deal with winter is very impressive. The council is ready for whatever the weather holds in store. There will be leaflets distributed across the area with information on priority routes, how to be prepared in the car and some tips for winter driving.

“This year there will be also more information available online at http://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/winter-road-maintenance .You can see the treatment routes and how they are prioritised. You can also see regular weather forecasts so you can plan ahead. If the weather is severe you have to ask yourself if the journey is really necessary.”