The big freeze set to hit Gloucestershire this weekend (From Cotswold Journal)
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The big freeze set to hit Gloucestershire this weekend
5:01pm Wednesday 1st February 2012 in News
FREEZING temperatures, snow and ice are expected in parts of Gloucestershire over the weekend and residents are being urged to take extra care when travelling.
Gloucestershire County Council’s fleet of gritters will be out across the county tonight and for the next few days as temperatures are expected to drop well below zero.
Snow and ice is expected during Saturday night and Sunday but it will eventually turn to sleet and rain through the course of the day.
The council will be monitoring the situation on the county’s roads around the clock and will update people on gritter twitter.
Staff will be using @GlosHighways and @GlosCC to update the public on when roads will be gritted, weather updates and road conditions.
The council is fully stocked up on salt for this winter. With the opening of two new salt domes, stock levels in the county have increased from 9,600 last year to just over 11,000 tonnes this winter.
When bad weather hits, the council treats all A, B and some C roads and routes to emergency services such as hospitals and fire stations.
It also treats a secondary route that includes the remaining main bus routes before snow hits, where time and resources allow.
Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) would like people to think about the following before they set off on a journey: • Ask yourself whether the journey is necessary, if it is you must be prepared for it and make sure you allow plenty of time.
• Check that your vehicle is prepared – the lights are working, windows are free of ice and de-misted. It is also important that your lights are free from ice/snow too.
• Plan your journey carefully, leave in plenty of time and keep your speed down.
• It is essential that you keep enough distance between you and the vehicle in front.
• Remember – bad weather is a hazard and people should approach it like any other hazard.
