North Yorkshire County Council reassured people today that it has enough drivers to operate a full complement of gritters this winter.

The council, which spends between £6m and £10m each winter on gritting, has spent £2.2m on 18 new vehicles to replace some of the 80 in its gritting fleet.

The fleet, which is on call 24 hours a day, is complemented by more than 100 farm contractors.

County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said:

“People may recently have seen media reports suggesting the risk of a shortage of drivers in parts of the country. We can reassure people that in North Yorkshire we have sufficient drivers and robust systems in place to ensure we can operate our full complement of gritters.

“Our salt stores are well stocked, with 55,000 tonnes of salt – enough to fill 21 Olympic-size swimming pools – plus about 8,000 grit heaps and bins, and we have a strong relationship with a local supplier.”

Read more:

• Minimum gritting will not affect service, say council bosses
• North Yorkshire County Council sets up highways company

The council recently announced it would save up to £120,000 by improving the efficiency of its gritting operation, which led to concerns that the service would be cut back. But Cllr Mackenzie said:

“This change is in no way a reduction in our services and will not compromise the safety of our roads. It enables us to use our resources to maximum effect.

“We remain committed to maintaining the level of service that sees us routinely treat a greater proportion of our network than any other council in England.”

NY Highways formed

The new vehicles join NY Highways, which is one of numerous new companies formed by the council to bring back services in house. NY Highways took over the council’s £40 million a year contract with Ringway to maintain North Yorkshire’s roads.

Ross Bullerwell, managing director of NY Highways, said it was “well prepared” to “ensure we deliver a successful winter programme to keep the roads safe and clear for users”.

The council is also providing travel information to road users from 10 new weather stations on some of the highest and most exposed roads in the county.

Further information about when and where gritting takes place, grit bins and access to live road cameras images can be found here.