The Island was on White Alert this week as the first snow of the winter fell over many areas.
But unusually, Islanders were preparing themselves to tackle the white stuff not for the first time in 2010. There were still with vivid memories for many of the chaos the blizzards caused back in January and February.
With the temperatures plummeting and the threat of more snow to come, the IW Council assured residents it has plenty of salt stocks for treating the roads during freezing conditions. Although it had enough salt stocks during the winter period last year, the council has increased its starting stock ahead of this year by an extra 50% to over 1200 tonnes.
Brand new gritting vehicles - replacing the ones that were used last year - will also be on duty this year. They too feature state of the art technology including a computer system that programmes the amount of salt being used.
The council is also reminding drivers that the salting routes have been revised this year. In response to the government’s drive to reduce national salt usage, gritting priorities have been changed.
The local authority will routinely treat the Island’s more important routes. A number of other roads, such as minor routes, will not be treated including some that may have been routinely gritted in the past. A full list of gritting routes can be found on the council’s website at www.iwight.com/gritting
Drivers have been advised to always take extra care in cold conditions on the roads, and to ensure their vehicles are clear of ice and snow before setting off on a journey.
The Council’s contractors were put on standby last weekend, although the snow that was forecast did not materialise. However, by midweek there had been significant falls in some areas, with driving conditions on some minor roads particularl
