WITH the cold weather eventually arriving just in time for November, Worcestershire County council has its gritting teams at the ready to make the roads around Droitwich safe for motorists.

Last winter the teams drove more than 50,000 miles around the county, between October and April, but they were saved from having to do much at the start of this Winter season with unusually warm weather at the end of October.

The county highways depot is stocked with more than 15,000 tonnes of salt, and has filled the 1,233 grit bins in readiness.

Residents can follow the gritters to see which roads have been gritted on the Gritter Twitter @worcscc, and there are interactive maps at worcestershire.gov.uk/gritting where people can check whether their road and regular journeys have been gritted or not.

Councillor John Smith, Worcestershire County Council cabinet member for highways, said: "You can certainly start to feel it getting a little bit colder and, as ever, our gritting teams are ready to roll for another season.

"We're all grateful for the work the crews do, usually during the night as the majority of us are tucked up in bed, when the freezing weather descends across Worcestershire. I know we are up for the challenge of another winter period.

"Sometimes a message stays the same but it doesn't lose its importance. Despite the fantastic efforts of our teams gritting is not a miracle cure. It never has been and never will be. This is why drivers should never assume, even if they think a road has been treated, that it's safe to travel at normal speeds during times of adverse weather. It's just not worth the risk."

People can also report any issues with grit bins at worcestershire.gov.uk/reportit.