Gritters will be out in force this winter in a bid to keep Kent moving

by Jess Banham and Martin Jefferies

Highways bosses are confident Kent won't grind to a halt this winter, despite some forecasters predicting the worst weather for 100 years.

A huge quantity of salt – around 23,000 tonnes, the equivalent of 4,600 jumbo elephants – has been stockpiled to keep the county moving.

Up to 60 gritting lorries will be rolled out and a third more bags of sand than last year have been ordered to help keep schools, businesses and community centres open.

Motorists struggle along the A2 during last December's snowfall

Carol Valentine, highways manager at Kent Council Council (KCC), said: "We have a very well rehearsed plan for winter.

"It's always hard to know what sort of weather to expect but we're preparing for the worst-case scenario."

Last year, Kent was hit by severe snow as early as November, with a number of weather-related accidents around the county, including a nine-month pregnant woman who had to be rescued from her car when it hit an electricity pylon.

KCC has a budget of £3.2 million to cope with any similar disruption this winter.

Drivers will be hoping they don't have to ditch their cars this winter

Ms Valentine said: "We had 23,000 tonnes of salt last year and we didn't run out. It's actually the maximum amount we can hold at any one time.

"We have further salt on order, so we don't just rely on that 23,000 tonnes. We're constantly topping up throughout the winter."

"All of our gritters have a snow plough that can be attached," Ms Valentine added. "As soon as more than 50mm of snow is forecast, the ploughs are put on the gritters, allowing us to clear the snow and grit the roads at the same time."