WITH the weather looking warmer – if wetter – Worcestershire’s gritting fleet has been shelved for another year.

Although this winter was fairly mild, the Worcestershire County Council-run gritting team clocked up more than 50,000 miles during the cold months, the equivalent of travelling from Worcester to Sydney and back.

The county’s fleet is one of the first in the UK to be equipped with brine technology, which helps the salt work more quickly and keeps grit stuck to the roads.

Cllr John Smith said he was “thrilled” with the team’s hard work.

"Despite it being a very wet winter the gritting team were still out and about ensuring that the county's roads were kept de-iced,” he said.

“We have a very efficient system here in Worcestershire that ensures that we have ample supplies of grit should the weather worsen.”

Any salt that was not used this year is being stored ready for next winter.