Snow falls across Hampshire as council takes action to make roads safe

The Met Office had forecasted there was the possibility of snow falling this morning in Portsmouth and the south east until around 9am.

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The cold snap is currently seeing temperatures of 1C that are due to hit 2C at 9am. The Met Office said there was the “chance of precipitation” before adding: “Another cold and frosty start. Becoming increasingly cloudy through the morning with occasional outbreaks of light rain.”

Meanwhile the county council’s highway teams have been out day and night to keep Hampshire’s main routes gritted, and to respond to surface water flooding and fallen debris on the roads. Residents are also being reminded to take advantage of the network of community salt bins that are on hand when the temperatures do drop.

Councillor Nick Adams-King, who covers Highways operations, said: “Our highways team are always fully prepared for the winter months, whether that is freezing conditions, snow, high winds or extended rainfall. The county’s salt barns are fully stocked, with around 15,500 tonnes of salt available, and our gritter fleet of 42 vehicles is always on standby.

“Over the summer months, we have also been refilling the county council’s network of blue and yellow community salt bins. This salt is freely available for everyone to use on roads and pavements and it can be particularly useful to ‘join up’ salting from the main roads, which is carried out by our gritters. A little goes a long way, with just one tablespoon of salt sufficient to treat up to one square metre of road or pavement surface, but the difference this action can make, especially to less mobile people, is huge.

“Recent wet weather has meant that groundwater levels remain high in many areas of the county. With the prospect of another wet winter, we are now undertaking additional checks and cleanses of roadside gullies and other drainage features in areas where groundwater is a concern. This is also a good time for landowners to check and clear ditches and watercourses under their care, which helps to prevent water overflowing onto the road network.”