Gritters have hit the roads across Lichfield and Burntwood for the first time this winter as temperatures plummeted before dawn.

Crews from Staffordshire County Council’s 40-strong fleet headed out at 4am to ensure motorists were able to tackle the morning commute safely.

Cllr Helen Fisher
Cllr Helen Fisher

Cllr Helen Fisher, Cabinet support member for highways and transport, said planning had taken place to ensure crews were ready to deal with the winter chill.

“Over the last few weeks our highways teams have been busy preparing our fleet of gritters and last night saw their first action,” she said.

“As temperatures dropped across the county, our gritting teams were out in the early morning to treat the main roads. And, as we can expect more cold weather, crews will be continuously monitoring conditions and rolling into action when needed to help keep the county safely on the move.

“On a typical winter day we will be out largely on key A and B roads, but in prolonged ice or snow we will be pulling out all the stops to treat less major routes across the network.

“As always, regardless of whether a road has been gritted, motorists need to slow down, take extra care and allow more time for their journeys, as the most important thing is that we all get through winter safely.”

For more details on which routes have been gritted visit Staffordshire County Council’s website.

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