They’re out on the roads again – Hampshire’s salting lorries come out of hibernation

The vehicles will be out on Hampshire’s roads between 7am and 1pm on Saturday to ensure there are no unexpected obstructions, the equipment is operational and to identify any problems. They will also be spreading a very small amount of salt.

Hampshire County Council’s annual winter maintenance programme starts on October 1 in readiness for the first frosts, and teams will be monitoring forecasts and sensors daily until April to assess when salting is needed.

A number of factors are considered when deciding when to salt the roads, including the weather forecast and the Icelert system, which uses roadside sensors to detect road and air temperatures, wind speed and direction, rainfall and ice formation.

Roads are treated on a priority basis – with Priority One routes carrying the majority of the total traffic and including A roads, major bus routes and roads to major emergency services. Only during periods of prolonged severe weather are Priority Two and Community routes treated.

People can check priority routes at hants.gov.uk/roads/winter-maintenance