Cold winter response to be tested

WEST Sussex County Council’s response to the cold winter weather is to be tested as part of Operation Snowflake on Saturday (October 16).

The annual exercise is held at the council’s five highway depots across West Sussex to ensure the county’s gritting procedures are rehearsed and ready to be put into action.

Gritting vehicles, snow ploughs and other equipment will be tested and drivers will be briefed on the call-out procedures that are activated when cold weather hits.

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The county’s fleet of gritters will also travel across West Sussex on a ‘dry run’ to check the drivers are familiar with the routes they will be covering over the winter period.

West Sussex County Council Deputy Leader, Lionel Barnard, who has responsibility for Highways and Transport, said: “Operation Snowflake is an important exercise which will ensure our teams are ready to respond to whatever winter weather comes our way.

“Last winter we experienced the worst weather for three decades so we need to make sure we are ready in case we have similar conditions this year.

“We have stockpiled 18,000 tonnes of salt to be used on our roads – twice as much as last year. We are also expanding a new system introduced last year to place large bags of salt or grit in key locations like busy shopping precincts and railway stations.

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“We have also strengthened our arrangements with parish, district and borough councils to make sure people have the support they need and the relevant advice to help residents help themselves where possible.”

The County Council will be issuing further advice in the coming months about preparing for winter and coping with extreme weather conditions.