Winter Gritting
Winter Gritting
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where to grit?
- When to grit?
- Do you provide Grit Bins?
- Requesting Gritting
- Can a Grit Bin be removed?
- Are pedestrian routes gritted?
Where to Grit?
Gritting priority is given to three types of roads/routes and based upon the recommendations contained in a National Code of Practice.
Priority A:
Strategic routes and principal roads, important classified roads and bus routes.
Priority B:
All other classified roads, important unclassified roads and bus routes.
Priority C:
In prolonged periods of lying snow/ice, estate and minor access roads in hilly or exposed locations will be treated, and consideration given to important footway routes (e.g. shopping precincts etc).
Treatment of Priority C locations would only be considered when conditions dictate and when all other priorities had been fully and adequately treated and resources become available.
When to grit?
The Council are recipients of a specialised winter weather forecasting service provided by the Met Office. The forecast, received on a daily basis, gives predictions of the possibility of freezing road temperatures, snow etc, and the time those conditions may occur.
Visit www.metoffice.com 
In addition, throughout the winter season, an inspector is employed to check the accuracy of the forecast by measuring road surface temperatures. This enables decisions to be made if, or when gritting is necessary. The aim is to treat Priority A roads before road surface temperatures fall to 0°C and all Priority B roads by 7.30am.
Requesting gritting
If you wish to request gritting please use the online request system.
Do you provide Grit Bins?
There are currently over 325 grit bins throughout Tameside in areas not normally subject to mechanical treatment, at hilly, exposed locations and potentially dangerous road junctions. They are normally placed on site in October/November and removed in April/May after the winter. They are restocked with salt when needed.
Requests for the provision of a grit bin are assessed and judged against a criteria. They are only provided if full justification can be shown. Use the online request system to make your request.
Can a Grit Bin be removed?
Often grit bins become the focus of vandalism or the meeting place for youths. If this becomes an unbearable nuisance, a request for the bin to be removed can be made. The agreement of other residents in the area would be needed before the facility is withdrawn. Use the online request system to record your request.
Are pedestrian routes treated?
In very severe weather conditions, especially when snow or ice may remain for some days, consideration is given, in priority order, to the treatment of pedestrian routes - footways and pavements in the following order:
- Town centre streets/main pedestrian routes
- Shopping frontages
- Busy pedestrian routes
- Hospitals and doctors surgery frontages/routes
- School frontages/routes
- Community centre frontages/routes
- Steep sections of footway/footpaths
- Predominately elderly residents areas
- Other residential areas
- Industrial estates.
| Contact Information | |
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 Send us a Message |
 Engineering and Environmental Health Tameside MBC Council Offices Wellington Road Ashton under Lyne Lancs OL6 6DL View local map 
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 0161 342 8355
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 0161 342 2398
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 0161 342 2283
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