Gritting crews are ready for more wintry weather

Lancashire's gritters are gearing up to keep the county moving over the weekend, with further wintry showers and icy conditions forecast tonight (Friday).
Lancashire's roads will be gritted ahead of more icy weatherLancashire's roads will be gritted ahead of more icy weather
Lancashire's roads will be gritted ahead of more icy weather

Crews have been working non-stop since Thursday evening to tackle the band of snow which affected many parts of the county on Friday, with all routes due to be gritted again this evening.

The cold conditions are forecast to last throughout the weekend, with further rain, sleet and ice possible on Friday night and Saturday before the weather becomes drier on Sunday.

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County Councillor John Fillis, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "The cold snap we've experienced this week has kept our gritting teams very busy, and we're well-prepared to deal with whatever the weather brings over the weekend.

"The forecast predicts that we're over the worst of the snow for the moment, but drivers should be aware of the potential for icy conditions and sleet over the coming hours.

"Our highway teams have been out gritting and ploughing throughout Thursday night and much of today in the worst-hit areas.

"We have an extra resource of agricultural contractors to help clear some of the rural roads when there's heavy snow, and we've also called them into action today. We've also received support from district councils in East Lancashire to treat some of the main footpaths.

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"I'd like to thank everyone for their hard work in what have been some very challenging conditions.

"We're expecting rain and sleet tonight, with the skies due to clear in the early hours leading to sub-zero temperatures, so I would ask people to be particularly careful on Saturday morning as conditions could be icy.

"Even when a road has been gritted, it can remain icy until the movement of traffic has worked the salt in and made it take effect, so it's vital to drive according to the conditions and consider that there could be icy patches."

Lancashire County Council has a fleet of 49 frontline gritters which can treat the 1,500 miles of the county council's priority road network within around four hours, but may take longer in severe conditions.