Winter is on its way!

As temperatures have dropped, it’s important you know what we can do to help you this winter, and how you can help yourself.

Since Wednesday 1 October, the council’s highways team has been monitoring the weather from 15 weather stations across Lancashire and 8 sensors in the borough. Forecasts are monitored days ahead of time and when the weather turns, we receive additional forecasts from the Met Desk three times a day. These are bespoke forecasts for Blackburn with Darwen, modelled from our gritting routes, which includes everything from the road surface temperature, air temperature, humidity and an indication of rain.

With 340 miles of roads in the borough, we’re able to grit around 160 miles.

• VEHICLES: We have four operational gritters, with two other vehicles on standby if needed as additions, or in the event of breakdowns.
• STAFF: We have a team of decision makers, supervisors, drivers and reserve drivers that are on call 24/7.
• ROUTES: There is a total of eight routes that cover the borough, four primary and four secondary. It takes each gritter approximately two hours per route. View our gritting routes. National Highways is responsible for gritting the M65.
• FOOTWAYS: Our town centres are treated with hand propelled gritters in severe weather, such as snow.
• GRIT BINS: There are over 400 grit bins in the borough. It costs us in excess of £40,000 per year to fill and keep grit bins full during the Winter Maintenance season. Find out the location of your nearest grit bin. 
• GRIT SQUADS: Community grit squads are residents who volunteer to grit their streets during icy conditions. We provide them with salt, a shovel and other appropriate equipment to grit their own streets. Find out more information about them.

We do everything we can to keep traffic moving in the borough during periods of snow and ice, but we do have limitations. Unfortunately, we can’t grit every road in the borough. No council can. This is why it’s important for residents to take steps to prepare themselves.

• A grit bin is for use by the whole street or area. If you have access to a council grit bin, be mindful of how much salt you use. The recommended level is 1tsp per square metre. Take a palm full and spread it like you would if you were feeding chickens.
• If there’s snow on the ground, make sure you clear that before gritting. A thin layer of grit is more effective than a thick one.
• Salt from grit bins should only be used to treat roads and footways adopted by the council. You cannot use council grit for personal areas such as driveways.
• If you need salt for personal use, you can buy it from a range of DIY stores.
• It’s also useful to have a snow shovel, a torch, batteries and a first aid kit just in case, which you can keep in your car in the event of an emergency.

Choosing the right time to spread grit is crucial.

• Instead of using the air temperature, keep an eye on our BwD Roads Facebook page to see when we are sending the gritters out. This will ensure your grit is used effectively.
• When possible, it’s best to grit in the evening prior to cold weather at around 6.30pm, and/or in the morning before traffic builds up.
• For grit to be most effective, traffic has to activate it.

If you see one of our gritters out and about, you can help by allowing it to pass when it’s safe to do so. And remember to drive safely in treacherous weather and take longer than usual to make your journey.

Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Executive Member for Growth and Development said:

We understand that when colder temperatures set in, it’s a challenging time for all.

It’s impossible for us to treat every highway, so we must focus on priority routes.

For those streets we can’t treat, whether you have access to a grit bin or not, I would advise you prepare suitably by buying your own grit.

You could also consider forming a grit squad with neighbours, working together to make your area accessible.

Thank you for your co-operation in ensuring that we tackle snow and ice as effectively as possible, collectively.

Read more about our winter gritting service.

If you would like to report an issue concerning our winter service, you can contact the highways team by e-mailing traffic@blackburn.gov.uk.