PREPARATIONS are underway in Torfaen for the beginning of the gritting season that started on Monday.

The council is prepared with a stock of 3,800 tonnes of salt, and a further 2,000 tonnes stored in a shared barn in Ebbw Vale if needed.

All 710 salt bins across the borough are in the process of been checked and filled, and the public are being reminded to use the salt sensibly.

The council maintains a fleet of seven large gritters and two smaller ones for narrower, busier routes, as well as a standby workforce ready to react to changing conditions.

Last year it purchased three new snow blades to attach to its ride on mowers to help keep the town centres clear.

The executive member for neighbourhoods, Cllr John Cunningham said: “Hopefully we will have another mild winter like last year but we are ready and prepared for whatever the weather may bring.

“As always we would like to remind drivers to take extra care during the winter months. While we make every effort to keep roads free from ice and snow, drivers should reduce their speed, increase the distance between cars in front, and not automatically assume roads are free from ice as appearances can often be deceiving.

“We also ask the public to remember that the salt in salt bins is only for use on adopted roads and footways, not private driveways and paths. A thin layer, spread over an area that has been cleared of snow, is most effective.”

In an average winter Torfaen’s gritters are called out between 60 and 70 times but last year, due to the mild conditions, they were only called out for 47 full gritting actions.

The council now uses information gathered from its weather monitoring stations to determine air and road temperatures to ensure that grit is only used when it will be most effective.

As usual, any updates will be posed on the council website www.torfaen.gov.uk, on Facebook, www.facebook.com/torfaen and on Twitter, @torfaencouncil.