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Ceredigion’s Winter Service FAQs

Below are some bullet point answers to some questions frequently asked about the council’s winter service.

For more detailed information you can find this season’s Winter Service Plan by following this link: Winter Service Plan 2025-2026

Who is responsible for grit bins?

  • Grit bins will normally be provided by the council and maintained with stocks of salt/grit mixture where they provide a necessary improvement to road safety and benefit to the community.
  • The council cannot provide a grit bin everywhere. Grit bins are located in strategic positions around the county and are provided for use on the Public Highway only (carriageway and footway). The grit bins are there to help road users, including pedestrians. The grit is not for use on private property.
  • We fill all our grit bins before the start of the winter season. If salt supplies and resources allow, we will re-stock bins following a request to do so.

Why are grit bins different colours?

  • The colour of the grit bin indicates who is responsible for filling and maintaining it. The council’s grit bins are yellow. Town/Community Council grit bins are green.

How do I request a grit bin?

  • You can request a grit bin by contacting the council in the usual way: Contact Us providing a detailed description of the desired location for the bin.
  • When the request is received, an officer will visit site and carry out an assessment of the location to determine benefit and suitability using a pre-defined matrix.
  • If the location is assessed as beneficial and suitable then the work to install a bin will be programmed.
  • Due to limited budgets, it may be that the bin is not sited immediately following positive assessment.
  • To speed up the process, town and community councils can themselves purchase yellow bins that on assessment have achieved the required target score. These will then be maintained, filled and replenished by the council.
  • Town and Community councils may also purchase green grit bins to place at sites that do not achieve the necessary target on the scoring matrix but have been assessed as suitable locations. They are then responsible for the filling and replenishment of these green bins.

Where does the council grit?

  • It is not possible to treat every road in the county, but we do aim to keep main routes clear so that there is minimum disruption to people travelling to and from work.
  • Ceredigion has 9 primary pre-treatment routes. Today we pre-treat approximately 21.5% of the road network which corresponds with what our neighbouring authorities do.
  • The pre-treatment routes have been identified using an approved matrix which considers a number of factors including traffic volumes, residential and employment centres, RTC statistics and altitude.
  • The pre-treatment routes were last reviewed in 2024 as part of a full Winter Service review.
  • Gritting every inch of our road network would cost many hundreds of thousands of pounds, but cost is not the only factor that prevents highway authorities and local councils from gritting everywhere.
  • Most minor roads and pavements are not routinely salted. There are many roads that are inaccessible to conventional gritting lorries.
  • The length of network we are able to pre-treat is determined by resources, both human and financial.

What does gritting involve?

  • Gritting involves the spreading of rock salt on the roads to prevent ice forming.
  • During heavy snowfalls, snow ploughs may be attached to the gritters and used to clear snow.
  • You may think that because we use the term ‘gritter’, our winter maintenance vehicles spread grit. In fact, we call the activity gritting because, historically, grit was used. Nowadays we use rock salt which is the brown salt you often see in grit bins.
  • Salt doesn't just melt ice, it also provides traction in freezing conditions.

When does the council grit?

  • The Winter Service operation is in place, and our gritting crews are on standby, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the beginning of October until the end of April including Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
  • We are ready to pretreat the precautionary route network whenever frost, ice or snow is forecast.
  • Ceredigion has a rota of trained and dedicated officers who determine when there is a need to carry out pre-treatment and how much rock salt to apply.
  • When making decisions on gritting action, officers use specialist weather forecasts, computerised ice prediction systems and information from roadside weather stations to get the most accurate indications of where and when ice is likely to form.
  • Forecasts received from specialist forecast bureaus include key information such as expected levels of precipitation, wind, snow, frost, ice and, crucially, road temperature.
  • Road temperature, rather than air temperature, plays a key role in the decision to grit.
  • Whenever possible, gritting is carried out when it is not raining to avoid the grit being washed away.

Why isn’t the air temperature used in decision making?

  • You may wake in the morning to find that your car is covered in frost and the road has not been pre-treated. This is because the temperature of the air isn't a good indicator of the temperature of the road.
  • Air and road temperatures often differ due to factors such as the sun's energy, which heats the road surface more directly, and the road's ability to retain heat.
  • The difference between air and road temperature can be significant, with the road surface being up to 10oC warmer or colder than the air, depending on the season, time of day, and other conditions like shade or wind.
  • In autumn a road is often kept warmer than the air as the earth beneath the road retains the heat from the summer. In the spring the reverse can be true, and the road is colder than the air due to the earth beneath it being cold from winter.
  • Bridges tend to cool more quickly as they are exposed and deprived of ground warmth.

What happens when the council grits?

  • Winter service teams are based in Glanyrafon Depot in the North of the county and Penrhos Depot in the South.
  • Gritting runs are generally divided into morning shifts and evening shifts.
  • When there is a decision to grit, supervisors and gritter drivers will assemble in the depots at the designated time and load the gritters before they head out on their routes.
  • If weather conditions worsen and become prolonged, our operatives and supervisors enter onto what is called a shift pattern and will be carrying out ‘heavy’ gritting operations 24/7.
  • Considering rest periods, changing drivers, refuelling, replenishing the vehicle and carrying out vehicle safety checks, heavy gritting will entail undertaking a minimum number of 6 runs per route per 24hr period, night and day, applying the maximum amount of grit that can be applied.
  • The average precautionary route takes 3hrs to complete from the time that the gritter leaves the depot until it returns to the depot.
  • Gritting does not mean that the road surface will instantly become ice free. Spreading rock salt on the road is only the start of the de-icing process. Movement of salt around the road by traffic is essential to complete the process. Overnight, when traffic levels are low, roads can remain icy for some time.
  • Salt only effectively melts snow when it is less than 40mm deep and traffic can move the salt around. It is essential we plough fresh snow to a depth where it is 40mm thick or less before spreading rock salt.
  • Water freezes at 0°C, the presence of the salt prevents water from freezing until temperatures fall to -6°C to -8°C. However, salt starts to become less effective at -5°C and almost ineffective at lower temperatures.

Who is involved in gritting?

  • Our trained staff, who drive and operate the gritters, are taken primarily from the Highway Maintenance service but also from Waste, Street Cleaning, Grounds Maintenance and Fleet Maintenance.
  • Sometimes gritter drivers may not be available to carry out their usual job. This is due to the need for rest and to comply with driver hours regulations and working time directives. The delivery of other services may be compromised, for example, normal waste collections may not be achievable.
  • Gritting requires good driving skills and the ability to operate machinery in challenging conditions, usually in the middle of the night when it's freezing outside and there is only limited visibility at best.

Why have I seen gritters on the road not spreading salt?

  • It could be that they are. Gritting vehicles have become more sophisticated, and lorries now dispense the required amount of salt directly down on to the road in a fine spray that you may not see.
  • Sometimes a vehicle might not be spreading any salt because:
    • It hasn't reached the starting point of its treatment route.
    • It is returning to the depot to refill.
    • It is driving on a road that is not on the gritting route.
    • It is driving over a section of road that has already been treated by a fellow driver.
  • Every gritting vehicle is fitted with a bespoke salt management software system which includes a GPS system:
    • The system can automatically adjust both spread rate and spread width according to the action determined and the road widths at various points around the network.
    • This allows the driver to concentrate on driving in what are treacherous conditions.
    • The GPS tracks the gritters progress on its route, and it's monitoring by winter maintenance supervisors provide an early warning should the driver/vehicle show sign of problems.
    • The system also records at what time and location the vehicle is treating, and this is monitored after each run to ensure routes are being treated correctly.
  • Conversely, you may see gritters spreading salt in August and September. Don’t panic! This is part of the gritter driver City and Guilds annual refresher training.

What can’t the council do?

  • We will not routinely treat footways. When there is a significant risk of icy conditions for long periods through the day we may salt busy footways in main towns. We can only do this if it does not affect the treatment of the precautionary network.
  • We cannot always keep roads completely free of ice and snow.
  • We do not grit on request. We will only consider gritting and clearance of routes off the main gritting routes once the precautionary network is clear.
  • We do not grit car parks.
  • The Council cannot supply private individuals with salt.
    • The council’s salt is stored in bulk (not bags) in busy working depots where there is high density vehicular traffic and moving machinery. It is neither suitable nor safe to allow residents to visit these working areas. It is also the case that during a winter event operational staff are fully deployed and would therefore be unable to assist individual members of the public.
    • The level of salt stocked by the Council is carefully planned to enable the efficient running of our winter service. Providing salt to individuals would impose an unacceptable strain on our limited resources, particularly during a prolonged event.
    • Local builder’s merchants and DIY stores usually supply rock salt for private use.

How can we prepare for winter?

  • Travelling during winter can be difficult, but there are things you can do to prepare. Always plan ahead before you travel, check local weather forecasts and advisories and ensure your vehicle is well maintained.
  • Vehicle checks should include tyre tread and pressure, oil levels, screen wash levels, and that all lights are working correctly. Also remember to ensure you have plenty of fuel for your journey.
  • Carry a winter kit. This can include de-icer, ice scraper, torch, fully charged mobile phone, boots, shovel, blankets and warm clothing, sunglasses for low winter sun, food and drinks, and winter boots.
  • If travelling in icy weather, remember to drive carefully. Keep to main roads where possible and slow down. Use high gears to help avoid wheel spin. Accelerate gently and leave bigger gaps between you and other vehicles. Do not brake suddenly and look out for road markings and signs that may be obscured by snow.
  • There is also UK Government advice on Keeping warm and well during cold weather which covers preparing at home.

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