Gritters ready to head out as temperatures drop

By Harriet Ernstsons Friday 23 November 2012 Updated: 25/11 17:31

GRITTERS will be out across the county as temperatures drop overnight.

All 31 of Worcestershire County Council's vehicles are set to treat all designated routes at 8.30pm this evening (Friday), covering more than 800 miles of highway.

But motorists are being urged to drive with caution and not assume it is safe to travel at normal speeds, even on roads they believe have been treated with grit. Extra care should also be taken during the mist and fog patches expected tomorrow morning (Saturday).

Jon Fraser, the authority's customer and community manager, said recent heavy rain meant there would be a lot of moisture on road surfaces, which had the potential to freeze when temperatures drop.

"We're going out to cover all of our designated routes but, as ever, we'd urge motorists travelling tonight and tomorrow morning to take care.

"Driving conditions have been difficult over the last couple of days and even though it looks as if things will remain mostly dry tonight the potential for ice on roads will be another factor to take in to consideration."

Visit www.twitter.com/worcscc for the Gritter Twitter account which will include tweets about any road closures and service disruptions caused by this week's bad weather. Log on to www.worcestershire.gov.uk/gritting for more information about gritting routes, grit bins and to report any problems.