It is all systems go for Staffordshire’s gritters as they are put through their paces ahead of the winter season.

The third week of October traditionally marks the start of Staffordshire County Council’s gritting operations.

The county’s gritters have already tested their routes to ensure they are ready to work around the clock to keep Staffordshire’s roads safe, whatever the weather.

Armed with 37 gritters and snowploughs and more than 20,000 tonnes of salt stockpiled, highways crews are equipped to battle any adverse weather conditions coming Staffordshire’s way.

Temperatures and road conditions are monitored from weather stations across the county and, using this data, Winter Decision Makers will determine when and where to send gritters out.

Typical winter days and nights will see gritters primarily focus on major routes. In prolonged periods of ice and snow, crews will work around the clock to treat other routes across the wider network.

Also primed and raring to go are the county’s hill contractors, who will be out across the higher grounds in the Staffordshire Moorlands.

Picture caption: The gritting crew at Gailey depot

Work on a new town centre cycleway in Burton--which will connect to a wider network to support sustainable and active travel--has been completed.

The project has seen the creation of new cycleway on Station Street and Borough Road. The route links the town centre and railway station and is the first of future planned sections which will improve connectivity east to west across the town.

Further planned sections will connect to the town hall, canal, hospital, Shobnall Leisure Centre, schools, residential areas and the existing cycle network, including the National Cycle Network (NCN).

Funding for the scheme came from the Department for Transport through walking and cycling charity Sustrans as part of its Paths for Everyone project to improve the National Cycle Network. East Staffordshire Borough Council also contributed through its Town Deal fund allocation. Total funding for the scheme was £1.6 million.

Picture Caption: Local Sustrans volunteer Ben Stuart, Clare Maltby (Sustrans), Borough Councillor Rob Hawkins and County Councillor David Williams.

Throughout the year, highways crews undertake 'social impact days' where they give their time to work on projects that benefit local communities. Here are just some of the projects they've been involved in:

Stafford Riverway Link

Highways crews, with the support of N & J Tree Services, recently completed a social impact day at Stafford Riverway Link. Over the day the team helped with a range of environmental tasks including hedge cutting, weeding in between a newly planted hedgerow, and clearing footpaths.

Flash Ley Community Primary School

Crews from Gailey Highways Depot have spent one of their Social Impact Days helping with some general maintenance at Flash Ley Community Primary School in Stafford by painting their perimeter fence.

Chasewater Country Park

Staff from consulting, the county council's country parks team, and others recently took part in a two day Social Impact Day at Chasewater Country Park. The teams assisted with heathland management on the park which is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This involved removing undesired flora such as ferns from the environment to promote the growth/expansion of the heathland.

More days are planned for the rest of the year, and we'll be sure to update you when these have been completed.