Salt stockpiled ready for what winter brings, says council

After one of the mildest winters on record in 2015, we could all get our meteorological comeuppance starting within weeks.

Some experts have warned we face our worst snowfall for years and some of our coldest temperatures in memory.

The prediction is that Britain could be hit by persistent snow for up to four months.

Sixteen hundred tonnes of salt is being held in reserve should the freezing temperatures hit the borough over the coming months.

The salt that has been put aside is enough to treat the town’s priority routes some 40 times.

Last year, the council treated the priority routes 26 times using approximately 1,000 tonnes of salt.

An additional 1,000 tonnes of salt is also on provisional order for early in the new year should the weather deteriorate throughout the winter.

A team of 16 drivers and eight gritting lorries will be on standby 24 hours a day to grit the priority routes which cover 280 miles of the town’s 520 mile road network.

Depending on the severity of the weather, up to 125 employees could also be deployed to grit pavements.

Among the most vulnerable when cold weather strikes are the elderly - the council’s Homeline service has a squad of 4x4 vehicles ready to go so it can respond to emergencies in adverse weather.

Coun Keith Williams, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for StreetSmart, said: “We start preparing for winter well in advance as we need to make sure we have the correct contingencies in place.

“We believe we have a sufficient quantity of salt in reserve, but as we are at the mercy of the weather we have allowed for additional reserves should we need to use them.

“Our winter preparations extend beyond the highway, however, as we need to ensure we have staff ready to respond around the clock and keep our vulnerable residents safe in adverse weather.”

Further information on how to stay safe in an emergency or during adverse weather is available at wiltshireandswindonprepared.org.uk