New ‘state-of-the-art’ gritters delivered to East Sussex ready for winter

The new fleet of vehicles, along with 45,000 tonnes of salt, have been spread out across 17 National Highways depots in the South East.

This addition takes the total number of gritters in the region to 77, something a spokesperson for National Highways said puts the region ‘in a good position to meet any challenges that this winter throws head on’.

The spokesperson said the fleet of new vehicles is a part of National Highways’ roll out of 120 new ‘state-of-the-art gritters’ across the country, with a further 132 to be delivered for winter 2022/23.

The gritters are equipped with technology which allows routes to be uploaded directly into the vehicle, helping advise drivers where to go, which lanes to treat and drive in but also specific information to consider such as bridges, or other road features.

National Highways acting executive director of operations Duncan Smith said, “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.  

“They include state-of-the-art technology allowing us to treat the roads up to a maximum of 50mph, 10mph faster than earlier models. We want everyone to travel safely on our roads and ask that drivers take extra care near gritters, leave a safe distance, overtake gritters carefully when it is safe to do so and at a reduced speed. 

“When the wintry weather arrives our winter teams across the country will be ready to work around the clock to keep traffic moving.”