Menu

Preston and Lancashire warned over icy conditions expected on Wednesday morning

Posted on - 16th January, 2024 - 5:11pm | Author - | Posted in - Fylde News, Preston Council, Preston News, Preston weather, Ribble Valley News, Roads, South Ribble News, Transport, Wyre News
Haslam Park Pic: Blog Preston

The public are being warned over expected icy conditions due on Wednesday morning as cold weather continues.

Lancashire County Council’s gritting teams will be in action again this evening before temperatures fall well below zero.

They will also be patrolling throughout the night in case further gritting is needed to cope with wintry showers forecast.

Read more: In pictures: Preston’s first snowfall of winter as city receives a blanketing

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for snow and ice covering Lancashire until a thaw is expected to arrive on Friday.

Council gritting teams have been treating the approximately 1,500 miles of the county council’s priority road network today following the snow which arrived overnight on Monday.

A quiet Tuesday snow warning in Walton-le-Dale

County Councillor Rupert Swarbrick, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Our gritting teams have been very busy over the past 24 hours, with yesterday’s action ensuring that the main routes cleared quickly this morning once the early morning traffic mixed the salt already on the roads with the snow which followed.

“They’ve been busy again today as the snow showers continued in many areas throughout this morning, with a particular focus on the higher routes which were most affected by the snowfall.

“We’re expecting things to be very icy over the next couple of days as the skies clear, and temperatures fall well below zero at night, and stay near freezing throughout the day.

“There could also be showers at times, which could create difficult conditions on any road or pavement as it turns to ice on contact with the freezing surface, particularly if any salt we’ve put down has been washed away in the process.

“This is why our teams will be patrolling continually over the coming hours to try to keep the main routes as safe as possible, however please be aware that any surface could be icy, even on the main routes which we’ll be gritting. Untreated surfaces could be particularly treacherous, and I’d ask people to be very careful on their journeys, particularly first thing in the morning.”

Read more: Cold weather health alert upgraded to amber for Preston and Lancashire

Lancashire County Council’s gritter fleet is made up of 45 vehicles which can treat the county council’s priority road network within around four hours, but may take longer in severe weather.

People who live on or near a gritting route are asked to park considerately and leave room for the gritters to get past, as poor parking often causes problems and can lead to routes not being fully treated.

People are also asked not to use more salt and sand from the county’s almost 3,000 roadside grit bins than they need to, as they can only be refilled when resources are available, and keeping the main routes clear always has to be the top priority.

Subscribe: You can now opt-in to receive Blog Preston news updates through Whatsapp.

Read moreSee the latest Preston news and headlines

Share
Preston in pictures A view of  DeepdaleWhittingham BunkerWhittingham BunkerPreston FloodedPreston Station, 07:32 23rd DecemberDSCF2480-01Air Ambulance taking offPreston Grasshoppers 12 - 38 Fylde-0958.jpg View more
Advertisement
Subscribe to the newsletter

Sign up below to receive Blog Preston's email newsletter. It wings its way into inboxes every Sunday and Wednesday rounding up our top stories and more.

Advertisement
News by location

Find news by location, select an area of your choice to be kept up to date with the latest goings on.

The Preston Guide

Discover local businesses and services near you.

Advertisement
Categories

Find news by category, select an category of your choice to be kept up to date with the latest goings on.

Blog Preston email updates

Receive our digest of the biggest and best stories every Sunday to your email inbox

We respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time from our emails