Radio 2 Breakfast Show gritters ready to keep Hertfordshire moving as the first frost comes to the county

Published: 15 Nov 2024

Snowy Ball and Gritchie Anderson, two of Hertfordshire's newest gritter recruits, are in tip top condition and set to get spreading grit on the county's roads, as the first frost of the season is forecast.

The pair were officially welcomed into the team of Hertfordshire's fleet of gritters last December when Richie Anderson broadcast live from Coreys Mill depot in Stevenage on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, surprising Snowy's namesake Zoe Ball. The crew at Corey's Mill had another surprise in store and revealed Gritchie Anderson, a smaller gritter used on cycleways, to Richie. Both were put into action straight away and here's a snapshot of what they got up to last winter:

• Together they spread nearly 300 tonnes of salt.
• They covered just under 2,000 miles.
• They were out and about on 38 gritting runs across the winter season, which was below average as it was a relatively mild winter.
• Snowy and Gritchie became very familiar with the roads of Stevenage and the surrounding towns and villages.
• Over half of their gritting runs were in January.

Phil Bibby, Executive Member for Highways and Transport at Hertfordshire County Council, said: "Snowy and Gritchie have been great additions to our fleet of 70 gritters and we're looking forward to them seeing them out again this winter season on the county's road network.

"Our gritters and team members are on call around the clock to keep Hertfordshire moving when the temperatures drop and are on standby 24/7 from 1 October until 30 April, treating over 1,500 miles of roads."

To check our gritting routes and find out how we're keeping Hertfordshire moving, visit: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/weare

Spread your knowledge far and wide this winter with these Hertfordshire gritter insights.

· Gritters are on standby 24/7 from 1 October until 30 April.

· We treat over 1,500 miles of the county's road network.

· We send out our gritters when road surface temperatures are forecast to be 0.5°c, or below.

· Each run takes around two and a half hours to complete.

· We start the winter with around 12,000 tonnes of treated rock salt, held in 4 depots, and restock as needed throughout winter.

· 100 staff, including drivers, loaders, etc, are mobilised for every gritting run.

· We went on 38 runs in the 2023/24 season compared to 80 times in 2022/23. On average we'll be out on 56 runs a season.

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