THE COUNTY’S response to winter weather saw more than 42,500 miles of road gritted, an end of season report has revealed.

With temperatures rising and winter seeming a distant memory, East Sussex Highways’ busiest season since 2017 has come to an end.

A review of the county’s winter service, which sees gritting teams on standby 24/7 from October 1, found that 42 drivers had completed 1,169 routes – each run taking an average of two and a half hours.

A total of 6,606 tons of salt was used on East Sussex roads and the lowest road surface temperature recorded was in Mark Cross, where it plummeted to minus 5.6 degrees on February 13.

Karl Taylor, the county council’s assistant director for operations, said: “A huge amount of planning goes into our winter response to ensure we are prepared for all weathers, no matter how severe.

“Our 21 vehicles were really put through their paces this winter and our dedicated team did a great job in keeping the county’s roads clear and safe when temperatures fell.

“Looking back at the season helps us to understand what went well and where changes and improvements can be made to make sure we are ready for winter 2021/22.”

Over the winter East Sussex Highways’ gritters treat all A and B roads and some C roads – a total of 42 per cent of roads across the county, with more than 1,252km of roads treated on a primary route gritting run.

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