Monmouthshire County Council has added two new gritting lorries to its fleet in preparation for harsh weather, with another four lorries on the way. The lorries were unveiled at the council’s Raglan Depot last week (Friday, 18th November) by the cabinet member for county operations Bryan Jones.
Cllr Jones said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve received these two replacement gritting trucks before the winter weather sets in. Our gritting crews do a fantastic job keeping our major roads as clear of ice and snow as possible – particularly through the last two exceptionally cold winters.”
He added: “Although we have never run out of road salt, or been in serious danger of doing so, the experience of the past two winters led us to increase our stock levels. We will order more road salt as conditions dictate. It’s worth mentioning that it doesn’t matter when you put your order in. Once the weather gets really bad the distribution is handled by the Assembly and done on the basis of need. Since we were never in serious danger of running out of road salt, we were shifted down the waiting list in favour of authorities that were about to run out. This is despite having put orders in earlier than many others.”
As well as investing in new gritting vehicles and increasing salt levels the council has recently trained thirty members of staff who can be redeployed to assist in keeping the county’s roads clear during severe weather.
