Every year, the drop in temperature presents a high level of risk for motorists with the frost and snow leading to possible major accidents.
The gritter drivers are a dedicated workforce at the Council, responsible to ensure all roads across Redcar and Cleveland Borough are safe regardless of how adverse the weather conditions could get.
Bob Dalton, father of two and a Foreman for the Council’s Highways department, has been working for the Council since 1998 and gives an account of his role and responsibilities as a gritter driver during wintertime.
Following the weather forecast, and being mindful of any ice and snow warnings, the gritters can be found on the roads at any time of the day and night to spread salt on the asphalt to prevent the formation of frost before motorists could get on the road.
Bob said:
“In this job you work by yourself, sometimes in the middle of the night in adverse weather conditions. You always have to be on call. One night your shift might start at 11pm, next time it’s 2 am and a few days later you find yourself working at 5am. Back in 2010 during our last heavy winter, Gritters had been out on the road 24 hours a day continuously for two months in a row,"
“But I love my job,” he adds. “There were some cases, when it was snowing, when we had to help vulnerable people get to hospitals and clear the paths for them. We’re not only ensuring roads are safe for drivers, but also that vulnerable people have access to key places such as hospitals and care homes.
“We are also supporting other Council departments do their jobs. Without gritters, bin wagons wouldn’t be able to reach all the houses in the borough.”
The gritters from Redcar and Cleveland have a large network to cover, all the way from Southbank to Staithes and some of the roads can be very challenging due to their steep inclines/declines, especially if there is snow or frost on them which could cause a vehicle to lose traction and control be lost of the vehicle.
A normal shift would usually take up to five hours including the vehicle safety checks, the time spent on the route, the cleaning of the vehicle, fuelling up and filling in the reports.
Bob also said:
“Because our gritting vehicles cannot go faster than 30 miles per hour while releasing the salt on the road, some drivers can get impatient, but we are doing this for their safety.”
Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Cllr Cliff Foggo said:
“The gritting service is essential to allow our residents to safely continue their normal routines during wintertime and avoid the risks of accidents and disruptions on the roads. We ask residents for patience and understanding when encountering our gritting team, but also to be vigilante when driving during this period of time and follow the Government Advice.”