Preparations for winter are already well underway in County Durham. In order to keep the region moving over the colder months, Durham County Council has its 76 strong fleet of gritters and snowblowers ready and waiting on standby.

The winter maintenance team is now fully up and running, with 42,000 tonnes of salt ready to tackle the ice and snow and more than 2,300 salt bins located across the county to assist residents and businesses.

In normal winter conditions, 1,700km of priority one roads will be treated, covering almost half of the county’s road network. More minor routes, or priority two roads, will also be treated in times of prolonged severe weather when the resources are available.

Each of the county’s 40 power gritters are also fitted with 360-degree cameras to help improve safety and provide up to date information on the latest weather conditions.

Residents can also follow @DurhamCouncil and the hashtag #TwitterGritterNE on Twitter or like /durhamcouncil on Facebook for more information on the latest on the roads.

To see a list of priority gritting routes, find out which roads are affected by adverse weather, or to track the council’s gritters as they are out and about and see the roadside weather cameras, visit: www.durham.gov.uk/winterinfo – Residents can also find their nearest salt bin, or request that it is refilled, by visiting www.durham.gov.uk/saltbins or calling 03000 260000.