Storm Goretti: Gritters busy across West Midlands as councils prepare for impact of icy conditions under 'yellow' warning

The West Midlands is set to experience the storm with the Met Office placing amber cold weather health alerts across all regions of England until January 11.

A deepening area of low pressure is expected to move across the south of the UK later on Thursday, resulting in wet and windy weather arriving from the west as well as snow on the northern edge of the system. 

A yellow warning for snow for parts of England and Wales has also been issued, with snow accumulations of 5-10cm (2 to 4in) possible, while wind will also be a hazard.

In readiness for the heavy snow, council teams have been getting gritters ready to travel up and down the roads of the region to ensure driving conditions are as safe as possible.

In Sandwell, gritting crews were out treating around 270 miles of Sandwell's roads.

Sandwell Cabinet Member for Environment and Highways, Councillor Keith Allcock said: “Sandwell stock up on rock salt in advance of winter and had a stockpile of 5000t of rock salt in preparation for winter weather.

“In the current severe weather period, Sandwell has used more than 800t to keep our roads safe. 

"The Council is well prepared to be able to support residents by keeping the roads safe throughout the current cold snap.

“Heavy snow, associated with Storm Goretti, is likely to lead to disruption and dangerous travelling conditions Thursday night into Friday.

“Sandwell will be working 24/7 until Saturday morning on gritting operations, our gritters will be out this morning and again throughout the day in preparation for the anticipated snow later today.’’ 

In Dudley, gritter lorries have been out and around the borough making sure roads are ready.

Councillor Simon Phipps, cabinet member for economy and infrastructure, said: “We are continuing to monitor weather forecasts around the clock, with an amber weather warning in place for the next 24 hours as storm Goretti approaches.

“The council has a plan in place for if the weather should impact the borough, and we are ready to work closely with emergency services if this is needed.

"Our gritting crews were out in force last night and will be out again this afternoon and tonight, with ploughs on standby for if there is any accumulation of snow. 

"We currently have more than 750 tonnes of grit salt in stock and, as always, we will continue to monitor and replenish this as needed."

Crews have also been out around Walsall borough to treat key routes.

A spokesman for Walsall Council said: "Walsall Council is well stocked to deal with the current forecast and the rest of the winter service season.

"We are gritting our key routes this morning into the afternoon in readiness for snowfall.

"Further gritting is planned and will be scheduled in accordance with forecast updates."

Preparations were also being made in Wolverhampton, with the council saying that gritters would be out in force.

A spokesman for Wolverhampton Council said: "We have sufficient salt stock and our gritters will be out this evening and throughout the night, using snow ploughs where necessary.

"While our gritters usually treat priority one and two routes, as we have been throughout the cold snap, we will be focusing on priority one routes overnight due to the severity of the forecast

"We urge everyone to only travel if absolutely necessary. 

"Based on current forecasts we expect the conditions to be extremely challenging this evening into tomorrow."

Road users in Worcestershire, which includes the Wyre Forest and Kidderminster, will see numerous gritters out on the road.

Councillor Karl Perks, Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport said: “Our winter service has been fully prepared since mid-October, with 35 gritters ready for deployment and more than 50 trained drivers on standby. 

"The team is prepared to cover tens of thousands of miles throughout the winter season and will remain on call until mid-April, responding whenever temperatures fall below freezing.

"Salt stocks are currently at 79 per cent, equating to approximately 13,000 tonnes. 

"We begin every winter season fully stocked and continue to actively monitor and replenish supplies as required. 

"Robust supply chain arrangements are in place to ensure reliable salt availability both during and outside the winter season.”

Highways crews in Staffordshire are bracing themselves as Storm Goretti is due to hit the county tonight.

Teams will be working round the clock to keep the county moving, and will prioritise keeping the major routes open in extreme conditions.

The county council has 20,000 tonnes of grit stockpiled and 37 gritters and snowploughs ready to roll.

Around 43 per cent of local highways are gritted, compared to a regional average of 30%.

Peter Mason, Staffordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Strategic Highways said: “With the Met Office issuing Yellow and Amber Weather warnings, our gritting crews are gearing up for some extremely challenging conditions. 

"Crews will be doing what they can to help keep main roads clear, but we are still asking people to take care.

“People should only travel if absolutely necessary and if they do need to travel, drive to the conditions. 

"Grit will not magically clear a road of ice and snow, so we do all need to be careful if we are going to be about and about.

“Our crews will be working round the clock, often in dangerous conditions, to keep Staffordshire moving. 

"They do a fantastic job and I have no doubt they will rise to the challenge of Storm Goretti. We hope that everyone stays safe.”