Video: See Kent's
gritting operation in action.

The winter's first flakes of snow have fallen in
Gravesend as the Met Office warns more frosty weather is
on its way.

Forecasters said that there could be "significant" snowfall in
Kent on Friday, with wintry showers continuing into the
weekend.

The snow is spreading east and has reached Medway. Maidstone and
Yalding have also had some flakes.

Kent County Council has been sending out gritting lorries twice
a day to ensure main routes across the county are kept clear and
safe.

Road chiefs say they are confident they have enough salt in
stock to last throughout the cold snap and do not expect to have
any problems replenishing their stores when necessary.

A spokesman said: "There is about 18,000 tonnes of salt in stock
at our depots and we believe that is enough to last 20 days."

Around 200 tonnes of salt are used in one day during light
frosts in Kent, but that can rise to 1,000 tonnes in severe
conditions.

Last year, several authorities were caught out by a shortage of
salt and were unable to grit lorries as regularly as they
wanted.

The council’s 64-strong fleet focuses on A and B roads, main
commuter routes and danger spots. Its gritting operation ensures
that hospitals, fire stations and other important facilities are
kept open.

It also responds to requests from Kent Police where it has dealt
with accidents caused by icy roads.

Email your snow pics to us at kentonlinenews@thekmgroup.co.uk

• To find out if your child's school is closed, click on this link to the kmfm site