Follow our social media feeds for the latest news on how services such as roads and schools are being affected by freezing conditions. This is updated around the clock whenever we have relevant information to share www.facebook.com/isleofwightcouncil and www.twitter.com/iwight
For the latest information on school closures please click here
For the latest information on council services please click here
For the latest information on highways please click here
We are confident that our salt reserves will be sufficient for what is required this winter. However because we do have limited supplies and Government may ration salt in severe conditions, we have to plan which routes we treat. Our priority is to treat strategic routes – in other words, the main roads and those connecting towns and villages. We would however stress that motorists should take extra care when driving in freezing conditions – even on salt treated.
Salting helps prevent ice forming on treated road surfaces and helps prevent any snow freezing to roads.
Salt does not stop snow laying. That is why salt is laid in preparation for snow and is not primarily used to clear snow from the highways after it has fallen, although application can help thawing.
The council has a fleet of seven gritters, one for each treated route with one vehicle in reserve.
A full gritting run – depending on conditions – should take up to three hours. Gritting is undertaken in anticipation of freezing temperatures. In cold weather highways staff receive regular weather updates from the Met Office and review data from a series of sensors on our network which monitor both temperatures and residual salt concentration, to help decide the need for the roads to be treated
When snow is forecast, we salt the network as described previously. If snow settles the primary salt routes are cleared first. When this is done, the focus moves to clearing the secondary salt route.