Gritting

Our aim is to make the county's roads as safe as possible for the road users and to reduce delays caused by bad weather to a minimum. During the winter period we provide 24 hour cover to respond to weather conditions using a fleet of specialist salting lorries.

Gritting involves spreading rock salt on the roads to prevent ice forming and, during heavy snowfalls, snow ploughs may be used to remove snow.

When are roads gritted?

We receive regular and detailed weather forecasts predicting conditions on Derbyshire's roads and we will normally send out the gritting teams whenever ice formation is forecast.

Our teams are on stand-by to respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the winter.

How do I find out which roads get gritted in Derbyshire?

You can use our online road search and area search to find out which roads in Derbyshire are gritted. These searches let you view a gritting route map for a specific road name or road number and a specific area within Derbyshire.

Why can't you grit all residential roads?

In an ideal world we would like to grit all of Derbyshire's 3,300 miles of roads but this is not possible because of the cost and time it would take.

Although we grit more of our roads than most councils, tough decisions still have to be made about the roads that are gritted and those that aren't.

The main gritting routes include main A-roads, most B-roads, most bus routes and some other roads which have specific difficulties.

In bad weather conditions gritting teams will try to treat as many minor roads as possible once the main routes have been salted.

Does gritting always work?

No. Despite the best efforts of gritting teams our success in tackling ice and snow problems depends on many outside factors.

Although we receive regular and detailed weather forecasts predicting conditions on Derbyshire's roads, ice can form on a road surface before the gritting has been completed. Early morning frost is particularly hard to predict.

Gritting is done when it is not raining to avoid the salt being washed away. If the rainwater freezes quickly, ice can form before gritters have completed their routes. If rain turns to snow during the morning or evening rush hour, it is very difficult to grit roads because of traffic congestion. Rock salt has a limited impact on icy surfaces when temperatures drop below minus eight degrees centigrade.

If you leave a vehicle parked on the road, please ensure there is enough width remaining (at least three metres) for the gritting vehicle to get past.

Grit bins

We are responsible for maintaining 1,286 grit bins and heaps across Derbyshire. There are a further 539 grit bins which are maintained by some borough, district and parish councils. You can find out about how to contact the borough, district and parish councils by visiting our other councils page.

At the request of a borough, district or parish council, we will consider funding the initial provision of further grit bins, but only for roads not on a council gritting route. Applications are considered on a priority basis for roads:

with steep gradients, severe bends, drainage problems, exposed sites or at difficult junctions
used extensively by elderly people, residents with mobility problems or very young children
in rural areas providing access to isolated properties.

Did you know?

We grit 1,555 of the 3,300 miles of roads in Derbyshire.
Every time the gritters go out across Derbyshire it costs around £30,000.
During an average winter Derbyshire's roads will be gritted between 60 and 70 times.
We operate 47 front-line gritting vehicles during winter.
There are 140 gritter drivers who work in shifts on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Every time the gritting teams go out it takes them around three and a half hours to salt the main routes.

If you require any further information please contact:

Call Derbyshire on 08 456 058 058
email contact.centre@derbyshire.gov.uk
fill in our online enquiry reporting form.

If you have your enquiry number, issued by the online fault reporting system, you can track progress on our online tracking form.

Winter driving tips:

Only travel if your journey is necessary - could you use public transport instead?
Check Teletext or listen to local radio for the latest weather and travel information.
In icy conditions slow down, steer gently and avoid harsh braking.
Use dipped headlights if driving during snowfalls.
Ensure your windscreen is free of frost and ice.
Check your lights are clean and in working order and your windscreen washer is full.
Get a garage to check your car battery is in a good condition.
If going on a long journey take a shovel, torch, wellington boots, warm clothing, food and a hot drink.
If you break down, stay with your vehicle until help arrives.
If you have to leave the vehicle make yourself visible to other road users.

For general traffic and weather conditions information tune into your local radio station on the following frequencies:

BBC Radio Derby FM 95.3, 96.0, 104.5; MW 1116
BBC Radio Nottingham FM 95.5, 103.8, MW 1584
BBC Radio Sheffield FM 88.6, 94.7, 104.1; MW 1035
BBC GM FM 95.1, 104.6
Peak 107 FM 102.0, 107.4
Hallam FM 97.4, 102.9
Ram FM 102.8
Century 106 FM 106.0
Saga 106.6 FM 101.4, 106.6
Mansfield FM 103.2
Key 103 FM 103.0
Trax FM 107.9.

You can also contact the following motoring organisations:

AA Roadwatch and Weather Watch, call 09003 401 100 or 401 100 (from mobile phones).
RAC Traffic Information, call 0870 572 2722 or 1740 (from mobile phones).

Check your bus times using our interactive journey planner, or call Traveline on 0871 200 2233.

You can also contact Derby City Council (opens in a new window) on 01332 255 256 to find out about their gritting routes.

Gritting

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