DEVON County Council’s gritting teams were called out last night, Sunday, November 16 for the first time this season.

With road surface temperature close to, or just below, zero yesterday evening, gritters were out on high ground routes on Dartmoor and Exmoor from 8pm.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office today issued a Yellow Cold-Health Alert for the South West, which is due to be in place until Saturday (22 November), so the noticeably colder conditions are expected to feature throughout this week.

Off the back of heavy rain from Storm Claudia, there is a risk of standing water and run-off which could lead to icy patches.

Weather conditions are being constantly monitored and gritting teams are ready to be called into action when needed.

However, preparations started months ago. Gritting depots across the county are topped up with almost 24,000 tonnes of salt for the start of the season.

Gritting lorries have been serviced and maintained, and five of the 37 frontline gritters have been replaced with newer models to help improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs.

All of these newer gritters feature touchscreen controls to enable drivers to adjust salt spreading rates and the position of their plough attachments without leaving their cab, which improves safety.

Residents are being reminded that they can also play their part to help gritter drivers over the coming months – simply by driving and parking considerately.

Councillor Dan Thomas, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: ‘Gritting the roads is a really important part of our highways operations.

‘If the gritters are out, they’re out for a reason, and they’re often out in the early hours of the morning and in treacherous conditions to keep roads on the gritting network as safe as possible for everyone who uses them.

‘If you happen to be out when they are, please give way to them and please park considerately to allow the gritters to get around your towns and villages.

‘If we can all do our bit so they’re not delayed while treating the roads that will be a great help’.

Last winter, around 8,000 tonnes of salt were spread on Devon’s roads – which is around 1,800 tonnes more than the year before, but below the average winter figure of 13,000 tonnes.

Simon Kane, Contract Manager, Devon Highways, said: ‘The gritter drivers deserve a huge amount of credit.

‘You have to remember they’re also the teams that during the day are dealing with flooding issues and maintaining the roads.

‘When they’re gritting the roads, more often than not, they’re driving in the worst conditions in the depths of night to get the roads ready for the travelling public.

‘We’d ask people to be considerate when they see gritters out on the highway network.

‘They’re big vehicles, difficult to manoeuvre, and difficult to reverse, so where you can, please give way and let the vehicles through.

‘Particularly in rural areas, we’d ask people not to park where they shouldn’t. If our drivers can’t get past it holds up the service and delays treatment of the network’.