SALT mountains are already being stockpiled in preparation for the worst that winter weather brings.

More than 3,500 tonnes of grit are stored at Bolton Council’s Mayor Street depot, ready to be spread on the roads of Bolton and Bury whenever the temperature drops below one degree.

Inside the grit barn, it’s a scene reminiscent of an eerie lunar landscape and the aroma of molasses fills the air - the molasses is used because it helps the grit stick to the road better.

A separate mountain of untreated grit is reserved for the borough’s 533 grit bins for highways and footpaths.

Depot manager Mark Treen said: “The grit comes from a salt mine in Cheshire, where huge rocks of salt are quarried and ground down.”

He revealed the the gritter trucks have already been out for six nights last month during the cold snap.

The council has seven gritters, and one standby vehicle. It also has a smaller gritter which is used to grit in locations prone to severe weather which the usual gritting vehicle can’t access

Staff interpret information provided by a specialist winter weather forecasting bureau. Other live data is received from two weather stations in the Bolton area and road sensors, all of which are monitored 24 hours a day during the gritting season.

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Highways, Cllr David Chadwick, said: “We are as prepared as we can be for the cold weather and our gritting crews will also work around the clock in bad weather to try and keep the main roads clear.

“We would ask motorists to be prepared and to check their vehicle to make sure it is ready and safe for winter driving.

“We would also encourage residents to be prepared. We do have grit bins around the borough which are filled up at regular intervals. However, this grit is for use on the footpath and residents should be prepared to get their own grit for their driveways.”

BOLTON COUNCIL - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GRITTING

Q. How much grit do we have? At the start of the season, we had approximately 3,785 tonnes of grit (please note we have gritted a few times so far this season, so we will have less than this now) in our salt barn at Mayor Street depot. We also store Bury’s grit for them. We will also get more grit if we need to.

Q. How many gritters do you have? We have 7 gritters, and one standby vehicle. We also have a smaller gritter which we use to grit in locations prone to severe weather which our usual gritting vehicle can’t access.
Q. How do we monitor the weather? From October 21 to April 6, the highways team operate a gritting rota that provides 24/7 cover to monitor weather conditions and make appropriate decisions.
Staff interpret information provided by a specialist winter weather forecasting bureau that provides data throughout the winter season. The forecast, received on a daily basis, gives predictions of the possibility of freezing road temperatures, snow etc, and the time those conditions may occur.
Other live data is received from two weather stations in the Bolton area and road sensors all of which is monitored 24 hours a day during the gritting season.
Q. How many miles/kms do we cover on a gritting round? Our gritting crews do two types of gritting rounds. One is a ‘full route grit’, which covers a total of 510km/317 miles of roads (A, B and C) around Bolton.
On a full route grit we cover just over half of our total road network and all the main roads and major bus routes are covered. Our drivers cover seven routes around the borough on a full route grit.
We also do a ‘High Level Gritting’ round where three gritter drivers go out and target the higher and known vulnerable locations on the key route network.
Q. Do you provide grit bins? There are 533 grit bins around the borough. Residents can use the grit in grit bins on the public highway and footpaths but not on their driveways. Grit bins are refilled throughout the winter season when appropriate.
Q. How much are we planning to grit? Entirely dependent on the weather! On a full route grit we would usually spread between 30 to 40 tonnes of grit. However, this would increase depending on how severe the weather is.
Q. Why don’t we grit footpaths? We do grit town centre footpaths and during snowy conditions staff will clear snow from bus stops on main roads and near key locations e.g. train station and bus station.
Q. How do I find out if I am on gritting route? Visit www.bolton.gov.uk/residents. Enter your post code/road, select your address, and click on the My Maps tab.
Q: Where can I get gritting updates? Please follow us on Twitter (@boltoncouncil), check our website, or subscribe to gritting alert e-mails http://www.bolton.gov.uk/website/pages/Wintergritting.aspx
Q. Where can I get info on disruption to bin collections? Check our website.
Q. Where can I get info on disruption to schools? Check with your school directly or the council website.

Gritting key points
• We are as prepared as we can be.
• We would encourage all our residents to be prepared for winter and purchase grit (available from Heaton Fold garden centre, off Chorley New Road). Information on preparing for winter: http://www.bolton.gov.uk/home/Pages/Getreadyforwinter.aspx
• We would urge all road users to take extra care and allow extra time for journeys in the cold weather.

Facts and figures
In 13/14 we spread 2,072 tonnes of grit.
In 14/15 we spread 4,200 tonnes of grit.
In 15/16 we spread 3,200 tonnes of grit.

In 16/17 we spread 2,633 tonnes of grit.

In 17/18 we spread 7,032 tonnes of grit.

Myth buster
* Once a gritter has put salt on the road, it will melt ice.
Untrue – spreading salt is only the start of the de-icing process. Grit needs movement and crushing by traffic for it to start to be effective. When traffic volumes are low, roads can remain icy for some time until there is a significant traffic flow.

* I’ve not seen a single gritter and I’m on a gritting route.
A driver covers approximately 50 miles on a route so given the length of a route it is quite possible that people might not see the gritters. The road gritting often takes place late throughout the night or very early in the morning.

* Anybody can use grit bins.
Grit bins are for the use of residents in that area, on the public footpath and roads and not for driveways.

* Why do councils only grit once it starts snowing!
When snow is forecast we start gritting the roads before it starts snowing to slow the rate of snow settling. Again some people may not see the gritting that’s taken place as its usually overnight/in the early hours. If people do see a gritter, chances are it’s one that has been out before because when the weather is bad we grit continuously. The problem is that grit alone has very little effect on snow and once snow has started to build up on the roads, there is little anyone can do until it becomes deep enough to plough (about 25mm or 1 inch). It’s the action of ploughing, spreading salt and vehicles running on the snow which help to clear the roads.