Gritters clock up 1,600 miles across snow-hit Staffordshire

Dave Knapper

20 November 2024 at 8:48 am·2-min read

Gritters covered 1,600 miles across snow-hit Staffordshire in an effort to keep the county's roads moving. Highways chiefs deployed 38 gritters - fitted with snow ploughs - to treat 'primary and secondary routes' as parts of the area were battered with heavy snow.

Crews will head out again this evening with temperatures staying low.

Staffordshire County Council, which has 20,000 tonnes of grit at its depots, says crews were out at around 5pm yesterday and again at 3.30am this morning - and completed a total of 1,600 miles. In addition some workers came across a stuck lorry on the A515 on the outskirts of Ashbourne where they helped the trucker before treating the road.

With the Met Office predicting freezing temperatures for Newcastle and the Moorlands this evening, gritting crews will head out again while forecasters warn it could feel like -6C overnight. The county council is responsible for the routes outside of the Potteries - which fall under the remit of Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

Councillor Mark Deaville, the county council's cabinet member for strategic highways, has praised the efforts of the gritting teams.

He said: "Our gritting crews have done a fantastic job overnight and into today, as they always do, making sure the main roads are clear to keep the county moving. The weather reports we got yesterday were spot on, meaning we could plan ahead and ensure crews were out at the right times to make sure the roads were clear. Our crews always do a great job dealing with very tricky conditions, especially up on higher ground in the Staffordshire Moorlands. We’ll still keep monitoring the weather today and over the next few days as it remains cold, and our teams will be out as and when needed.

“Even though our crews do their best to clear roads, there may still be some tricky driving conditions out there. I’d advise people to slow down, and drive to the conditions of the road. That way, they will be able to get to their destination safely.”

As reported by StokeonTrentLive today and North Staffordshire could see further snow falls on Thursday.

Get daily headlines and breaking news emailed to you - it’s FREE

Wales Online
What the Met Office says about reports of snow bombs and blizzards this Christmas
The Met Office warns that predicting snowfall is ultimately "tricky"
Yahoo News UK
Elderly couple's 'nightmare' forever home has flooded 20 times in three years
'It is like Niagara Falls every time we get moderate rain,' homeowner Patricia Clarke said.
The Independent
Electric cars in winter: How cold weather affects EV range and charge
Like everything powered by lithium batteries, electric cars can perform less well in the cold. Here’s what that means for you, and how to work around it.
Eastern Daily Press
Parts of Norfolk under more than two feet of water as flood alerts issued
The A1101 Welney Wash Road has been left submerged under more than two feet of water as the Environment Agency issues two more flood alerts.
Yahoo News UK
Insurer refuses to pay for damaged chimney because Storm Darragh wasn't a proper storm
Dennis Iliffe was told by his insurer the winds of Storm Darragh were too slow to qualify for a claim.
Evening Standard
UK weather: White Christmas possible as Met Office predicts snow and sleet over festive period
Snow possible for the UK over Christmas period, according to Met Office forecast
FTW Outdoors
Humpback whale’s spectacular breach is sadly revealing; photos
A humpback whale that had been thrilling boaters off Newport Beach, Ca., for several days breached for a prolonged period Sunday, revealing that the mammal is hardly free and thriving. The accompanying Instagram post by Mark Girarde
The Guardian
The Burmese python problem: how 20ft predators are wreaking havoc on the Everglades
There are between 100,000 and 300,000 of these snakes in the region – and they can swallow a small deer whole. What can Florida do about this threat to biodiversity?
The Telegraph
Miliband to overrule local residents in wind farm building spree
Ed Miliband is to overrule local residents in a planning shake-up that will pave the way for thousands more wind turbines across Britain.
AFP
Six rare giant catfish surface in Cambodia
Conservationists in Cambodia on Friday celebrated the discovery of six highly endangered Mekong giant catfish in the critical Southeast Asian waterway plagued by illegal fishing, habitat loss and plastic waste.Besides overfishing and plastic pollution, the Mekong River Basin has been degraded by upstream dams and climate change, which have had a major impact on water levels in the critically endangered catfish's aquatic home.
Storyful
Dramatic Icicles Coat Trees and Lighthouse in Michigan as Temperatures Plummet
Dramatic icicles coated a pier and surrounding trees in Saint Joseph, Michigan, on Thursday, December 12, as subzero windchills continued in the region.Nathan Voytovick, of Nate’s Dronography, captured this footage showing waves slamming into the St Joseph North Pierhead Outer Lighthouse on the shore of Lake Michigan on Thursday morning.Temperatures were expected to remain frigid but increase by Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Credit: Nate’s Dronography via Storyful
The Telegraph
Widower told memorial tree for late wife must be dug up after council mistake
A widower has been told that a memorial tree dedicated to his late wife must be uprooted after it was mistakenly planted on protected ground.
The Independent
National Trust attacks Labour’s green belt housing plan
The conservation charity says Angela Rayner’s push to speed up home building could taint urban ‘oases’ of greenery
Storyful
'Pretty Treacherous Conditions': Lake-Effect Snow Blasts Roads in Western New York
Lake-effect snow blasted parts of western and northern New York on Thursday, December 12, as weather officials warned of hazardous travel conditions.This video was captured by meteorologist Richard J McCollough, who said it was filmed in Lima, south of Rochester. “It’s pretty treacherous and slow-moving conditions at this moment,” he says in the video.Blowing snow could impact visibility on roads, weather officials said, warning motorists to “be prepared for rapidly changing road conditions and visibilities.” Credit: Richard J. McCollough via Storyful
Sky News
It's still 2024, but scientists are already confident 2025 will be in top three warmest on record
It is not even Christmas yet: trees are still being decorated, turkeys are yet to be defrosted and Christmas puddings remain intact. Next year's global average temperature is likely to be the third-highest on record - going back to 1850 - after 2024 in the top spot and 2023 in second place, the Met Office said today. This year is on course to be at least 1.5C hotter than pre-industrial times, before humans started burning fossil fuels at scale, and 2023 was 1.45C warmer.
Storyful
'Intense' Lake-Effect Snow Blasts Northern New York
Lake-effect snow blasted parts of northern New York off lakes Erie and Ontario on Thursday, December 12, according to official weather reports.Satellite imagery released by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University shows “intense” bands of lake-effect snow moving across northern New York.Weather officials said on Thursday afternoon that the lake-effect snow off Lake Erie weakened but is expected to strengthen during the evening, while the band off Lake Ontario will still pound the area through the evening commute. Credit: CSU/CIRA & NOAA via Storyful
The Telegraph
Miliband to rule on building Britain’s biggest solar farm at Churchill’s ancestral home
Ed Miliband will decide whether Britain’s biggest solar farm can be built on Winston Churchill’s ancestral estate after the renewables project cleared a key hurdle.
PA Media: UK News
More than 2,000 homes still without power after Storm Darragh
A local councillor in Wales said he knows some who have been without power for five days.
Grist
The Arctic just hit an unfortunate climate milestone
For thousands of years, the tundra sequestered more carbon than it emitted. Not anymore.
Associated Press
Bone-chilling cold returns to the Midwest in the wake of a storm that soaked the East Coast
Frigid weather returned to the Upper Midwest on Thursday after a storm that swept up the East Coast delivered a blow to New England, packing powerful gusts that knocked out power along with a deluge of rain and warming temperatures that washed away snow and dampened ski resorts. The Upper Midwest saw unseasonably cold early Thursday, with parts of North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin experiencing wind chills well below zero degrees F (minus 17.8 degrees Celsius). The National Weather Service received a report of a low temperature of minus 27 degrees F ( minus 32.7 degrees C) southwest of Inger, Minnesota.

'Had I listened to the hospital doctors, my Ros would not be here today'

Gritters clock up 1,600 miles across snow-hit Staffordshire

Latest stories

What the Met Office says about reports of snow bombs and blizzards this Christmas

Elderly couple's 'nightmare' forever home has flooded 20 times in three years

Electric cars in winter: How cold weather affects EV range and charge

Parts of Norfolk under more than two feet of water as flood alerts issued

Insurer refuses to pay for damaged chimney because Storm Darragh wasn't a proper storm

UK weather: White Christmas possible as Met Office predicts snow and sleet over festive period

Humpback whale’s spectacular breach is sadly revealing; photos

The Burmese python problem: how 20ft predators are wreaking havoc on the Everglades

Miliband to overrule local residents in wind farm building spree

Six rare giant catfish surface in Cambodia

Dramatic Icicles Coat Trees and Lighthouse in Michigan as Temperatures Plummet

Widower told memorial tree for late wife must be dug up after council mistake

National Trust attacks Labour’s green belt housing plan

'Pretty Treacherous Conditions': Lake-Effect Snow Blasts Roads in Western New York

It's still 2024, but scientists are already confident 2025 will be in top three warmest on record

'Intense' Lake-Effect Snow Blasts Northern New York

Miliband to rule on building Britain’s biggest solar farm at Churchill’s ancestral home

More than 2,000 homes still without power after Storm Darragh

The Arctic just hit an unfortunate climate milestone

Bone-chilling cold returns to the Midwest in the wake of a storm that soaked the East Coast