Assurance on winter road salt stocks
Carmarthenshire residents and road users are being reassured that the council is well prepared for this winter with double the amount of salt compared to two years ago.
The Environment Scrutiny Committee heard that the Street Scene section has 13,000 tonnes of salt in stock ready to grit the roads in icy weather - rising to 16,500 tonnes by the end of October.
There is also 1050 tonnes of quarry gritstone in storage for use in extreme conditions.
Members were told that planning was well underway for this winter and as well as an increase in salt, a review had been carried out of the routes and the number of 4x4 vehicles in the council fleet.
A full inventory of grit bins has also been carried out and the 1100 grit bins in the county will be re-filled as necessary.
The council’s Building Services division established ‘hit teams’ to respond to schools, care homes and main council buildings.
Following the first major snowfall last winter an internal ‘Gold’ command was set up, chaired by the Chief Executive, which met every morning.
Social services clients were a priority along with re-opening schools and keeping the primary road network open.
There were no major problems encountered and Carmarthenshire coped particularly well in comparison to some other areas.
The committee praised all the staff involved for all their hard work.
Executive Board Member for Technical Services Cllr Philip Hughes said: “The council sets aside £1 million as part of its winter maintenance programme and staff are on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We do all that we can to keep our roads as safe as possible for motorists and pedestrians during the winter months.”
The Environment Scrutiny Committee heard that the Street Scene section has 13,000 tonnes of salt in stock ready to grit the roads in icy weather - rising to 16,500 tonnes by the end of October.
There is also 1050 tonnes of quarry gritstone in storage for use in extreme conditions.
Members were told that planning was well underway for this winter and as well as an increase in salt, a review had been carried out of the routes and the number of 4x4 vehicles in the council fleet.
A full inventory of grit bins has also been carried out and the 1100 grit bins in the county will be re-filled as necessary.
The council’s Building Services division established ‘hit teams’ to respond to schools, care homes and main council buildings.
Following the first major snowfall last winter an internal ‘Gold’ command was set up, chaired by the Chief Executive, which met every morning.
Social services clients were a priority along with re-opening schools and keeping the primary road network open.
There were no major problems encountered and Carmarthenshire coped particularly well in comparison to some other areas.
The committee praised all the staff involved for all their hard work.
Executive Board Member for Technical Services Cllr Philip Hughes said: “The council sets aside £1 million as part of its winter maintenance programme and staff are on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We do all that we can to keep our roads as safe as possible for motorists and pedestrians during the winter months.”
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