Devon ploughs on with winter weather preparations

With winter well on its way, South West Highways and Devon County Council are making sure they are fully equipped to keep Devon moving during any severe weather over the coming months.

The Council have welcomed an investment of almost £1 million by South West Highways to purchase 12 new tractors which, during the winter months, will be fitted with the special snow ploughs to help keep the roads clear of snow.

Throughout the rest of the year South West Highways will use the tractors for other general road maintenance services, such as grass cutting, around the region's roads.

Devon Highways' fleet of 74 gritters are also now on standby to grit the county's combined primary and secondary salting routes which cover more than 2,000 miles.

Ben Pyle, Managing Director of South West Highways, said:

"We are always looking at ways in which we can improve our service to customers and this is a sign of our commitment to looking after them.

“We have a responsibility, to maintain a high level of service, whatever the weather and this investment reflects that. We would also like to remind drivers to take extra care over the coming months.

Let's work together to ensure we keep Devon's roads moving."

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said:

"Working in partnership with our contractors and communities is the key to keeping Devon moving in the event of severe weather.

“These tractors, purchased by South West Highways, are a welcome addition and mean we are able to increase our severe weather response capability in snow clearance without increasing costs as the tractors are used by South West Highways for other maintenance work throughout the year.

“Salt levels are fully stocked and our fleet of gritters are on standby should they be needed, so we are as prepared as we can be.

"With a highway network of 8,000 miles, which is bigger than any other local authority in the country, it is impossible to treat all of our road so we are also working closely with town and parishes to enlist the help of volunteers as part of our snow warden scheme to provide an additional level of resilience  during  severe  winter  weather at a very local level which otherwise would be impossible to achieve.

"So far the response has been extremely positively and we now have a network of 265 snow warden volunteers across the county, which is excellent as they provide an important link to the County Council and they really can make the difference during prolonged severe weather by co-ordinating their efforts where they feel it is needed most."

For more information and advice about winter weather preparation, please visit Devon County Council's website –

http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/councildemocracy/publicsafety/emergencies/winter.htm