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Kent’s gritters were called out on 44 separate occasions in the height of winter, figures from Kent County Council (KCC) show.

Between 22 October 2021 and 31 January 2022, the local authority, which is in charge of making sure roads are safe in the winter, used 7,019 tonnes of salt to treat its primary routes.

KCC uses state-of-the-art technology to ensure as much of the network is covered as possible, making gritting rounds more efficient.

The teams that drive the council’s 60 gritters are only deployed if the temperature of the road surface is due to drop to 0C or below, even if the ambient temperature is predicted to be below or above that.

As winter draws to a close, and the likelihood of temperatures falling to 0C recedes, KCC is preparing to stow away its machines ready for the slightly warmer weather ahead while remaining on standby should a last-minute winter deluge hit.

KCC’s Highway Project Manager, Carol Valentine, is responsible for delivering the council’s winter transport policy.

She said: “Every year our teams go out in the dead of night to treat our primary routes so that drivers can be secure in the knowledge that they are treated and as safe as they can be.

“As with previous years, we have been pleased with the way residents have engaged with us to make sure they are ready should they get stuck or delayed in adverse weather.

“We will continue to review our work this year and use the data to feed into our plans for the forthcoming winter season.”

As well as gritting key roads, the council ensures residents have the supplies they need to salt their own neighbourhoods by topping up yellow salt bins.

These are essential for residents to treat roads and pavements themselves where localised ice and frost would make it dangerous for pedestrians and drivers, especially in areas not covered by gritters.

KCC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, David Brazier, said: “I would like to pay tribute to the extraordinary work of our gritting teams and highway staff.

“Each year they ensure our roads are safe throughout winter for everyone to use.

“Luckily, we have not had to deploy resources to respond to huge volumes of snow, as we have in previous years, but it is encouraging to see that everything is in place should we need to react in this way.”

KCC continues to treat roads as required. For more on the work it does in winter click here.