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Winter gritting

Cars on snow covered roadPreparing for winter

Visit our winter weather pages for the latest winter weather updates including road gritting, Council services affected by severe weather and school closures.

Latest gritting news

Report problems on highways

Please tell us about potholes, missing signs, broken street lights or any other road faults.

Priority roads

We spread salt to prevent ice from forming on our roads when frost or icy conditions are forecast, using a fleet of 16 gritters. Salting is normally completed within four hours and usually before 7am.

Use this link to view the Winter Gritting Routes on an interactive map

Roads which are salted are dealt with in the following priority order:

  • Priority 1 Routes - are all ‘A’ Class carriageways, and designated routes to A & E Hospitals. 
  • Priority 2 Routes - are other major commuter roads (‘B’ class), major commuter/distributor roads carrying four service buses or more per hour between 6am and 10am, roads serving emergency services, public transport, centres, comprehensive and secondary schools, higher education establishments, roads with gradients greater than 10% and carrying more than 1000v/day and main access roads to rural communities and villages. 
  • Other Carriageways - Only after all the Priority 1 and 2 routes are treated and open to traffic and when snow or ice is likely to persist for a continuous period of 24 hours. 

Cycleways and footpaths

Cycleways are salted where they form part of the 950 kilometres of salted roads. Footpaths alongside carriageways and other cycleways are not treated except where frosty or icy conditions last for several days. Footpaths and cycleways may then be treated when we have the capacity to do it.

Salt bins

Salt bins should only be provided in residential areas adjacent to shopping areas, part way up on hills steeper than 1 in 10 and in other areas off the main salting route where both need and usage can be demonstrated.

Radio stations

Tune into your local radio station for the latest news on the roads

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Cheshire West & Chester Council, HQ, Nicholas Street, Chester, CH1 2NP