New gritters will keep Torfaen moving whatever the weather

They will replace ten-year-old vehicles which had become unreliable and expensive to maintain.

The local authority now has seven large gritters and two smaller ones, plus a standby workforce available to react to conditions at any time.

It also has three new snow blades, which can be fitted to the ride-on mowers to help clear snow on busy high-priority footways.

The executive member for neighbourhood services, councillor John Cunningham, said: “Our winter maintenance teams are extremely dedicated and are once again preparing for what could be another difficult winter.

“There has already been seven gritting actions in the last two weeks, with many more predicted over the next few months. However, we are fully prepared. We have 4,000 tonnes of salt in our barns, plus a reserve stock of 2,000 tonnes in a shared regional barn in Ebbw Vale.”

A total of 700 slat bins have been filled across the area, with residents reminded to use the salt sparingly, clearing snow first to get the best results.

Councillor Cunningham added: “The salt only needs to be spread thinly to be effective; putting some in a bucket and spreading with a small scoop or gloved hand is the most effective method. Lying snow should be cleared first if possible before applying the salt.”

In an average winter, the gritters are called out 60 to 70 times. Last year’s prolonged winter saw 82 full gritting actions.

An average gritting action uses about 35 tonnes, although a lot more is used in periods of snow.

“I would like to take this opportunity to remind residents to exercise caution while driving in winter,” Cllr Cunningham said. “Even though we constantly monitor conditions and crews are on standby 24 hours a day to treat the roads as required, we cannot guarantee to keep them free from snow or ice at all times.”

For local authority weather updates and advice visit www.torfaen.gov.uk,

Information is also available on facebook.com/torfaen and @torfaencouncil on Twitter