Salt stores topped up and grit bins filled as part of winter preparations in Telford

The borough's gritters have been mobilised for the first time this week as road temperatures dropped to minus one and will go out whenever frost or ice is forecast over the coming months.

When out, gritters routinely treat more than 200 miles of roads, including bus routes and access roads for emergency services, schools, industrial estates and villages. The council’s volunteer snow wardens also help out in local communities.

Its winter duty officer carefully follows MetDesk weather forecasts and anticipated road surface temperatures at lunch times and again in the evening daily, and these forecasts coupled with information from the local Crudgington and Horsehay weather station inform decisions on if gritting is needed.

Ongoing road inspections are also carried out to assess road conditions.

Councillor Lee Carter, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for neighbourhood, commercial services and regeneration, said: “Last winter was the fifth wettest and mildest on record and with storms like Ciara, Dennis and Jorge bringing wet and windy weather, it was a challenging times for our teams.

“It’s impossible to forecast what the conditions will be this year but our teams have been getting ready for the harshest of conditions and be in a position to keep roads moving whatever the weather.

“We are proud to have been ranked one of the top areas in the country for overall satisfaction with highway and transport services and that’s down to the hard work of our crews.

“For winter they have checked and topped up the hundreds of grit bins across the borough, carried out extensive surveys on drains to find the hot spot areas likely to fill more quickly and repaired over 3,000 potholes in the last 12 months – down from more than 5,000 in 2018 as well as lots of other work in the background.

“We’re also rallying our snow wardens so that they are ready to lend a hand if needed.

"The work they do is invaluable and very much appreciated, particularly by our older and more vulnerable residents.

“If anyone would like to find out about becoming a snow warden in their area, then please do get in touch.”

To report a pothole or for details of where and when the council grits, location of grit bins, school closures in the event of snow, advice on winter road safety and how to become a snow warden visit the council's website.