WITH winter fast approaching, gritter season has been launched in Worcestershire.

The county council's gritting teams are preparing to be sent out to keep the county's roads moving once again, with "Gritter Season" underway.

Teams are on standby from this week, with new gritters being brought in to replace older vehicles in the council's fleet.

The total number of gritters that Worcestershire County Council have is 36 and this puts the County in a very good position to meet any challenges that this winter throws head on.

The gritters are equipped with technology which allows them to be tracked live throughout gritting operations.

The new gritters will improve safety for drivers and workers due to the vehicles' improved technology, set-up and enhanced visibility.

Councillor Alan Amos, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "Our gritting teams are once again ready to go out and keep Worcestershire moving through the winter months.

"They do a fantastic job, working all hours to ensure the county’s roads remain open during the colder and icy weather.

"The new vehicles are an impressive sight and this year’s roll out once again demonstrates our commitment to keeping drivers safe throughout the winter months.  

"When the wintry weather arrives our team across the county will be ready to work around the clock to keep traffic moving."

The County Council has 16,750 tonnes of salt, stored in depots across the County and ready to be used ahead of the new season.

Stock levels are monitored constantly and replenished when necessary, with gritting teams managing more than 50,000 miles in total last winter.

That is the equivalent of more than twice around the world.

The Council also has 1,320 grit bins across the county of Worcestershire and these are maintained with stocks of a salt/grit mixture.

They are provided for use on the public highway only (including footways).

Residents can also locate their nearest grit bin, via the County Council website.

People can report any issues on the roads including their grit bins via the council website.

The start of the gritting season also means the Twitter account for roads and highways @worcstravel will go into ‘#GritterTwitter’ mode, with a daily update on where and when the gritters are going out.