Stoke-on-Trent gritters cover 500 miles in seven hours as heavy snow on its way

Dave Knapper

21 November 2024 at 9:23 am·1-min read

-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)

Gritters have clocked up more than 500 miles in just seven hours - with Stoke-on-Trent braced for even more snow. Highways crews with Stoke-on-Trent City Council dropped 84 tonnes of grit on the Potteries' road network in an effort to keep motorists moving.

Teams hit the roads at 6pm yesterday and went through to around 1am. And they're also set to hit the roads tonight when forecasters are predicting hours of snow.

Meanwhile temperatures are also expected to drop yet again after North Staffordshire has seen three consecutive nights of snowfall.

Stoke-on-Trent is currently under a yellow warning for snow and ice that came in at noon today and will run through to 10am in the morning.

The council's gritting team -Credit:Stoke-on-Trent City Council

The current Met Office forecast says the city will see light snow from 5pm with heavy spells at 8pm and from 10pm until midnight. Into Friday and that snow is expected to turn to sleet while temperatures will sit at 1C - but feel more like -4C.

A spokesperson for Stoke-on-Trent City Council said: "Our gritting teams worked through the night to ensure all main roads are clear. Between 6pm and 1am the teams covered over 500 miles and dropped 84 tonnes of grit. The team will continue to work to ensure the network remains functioning, including overnight tonight. Please drive with care."

For the latest on the weather in North Staffordshire follow our dedicated blog here.

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

Manchester Evening News
UK weather: Met Office gives snow verdict amid reports of 168-hour 'non-stop blizzards'
The Met Office has shared its long range weather forecast for December
The Bolton News
How long do wild rats live in the UK? (It might surprise you)
Rats can settle in homes and gardens in the UK but how long can they live?
Daily Echo
Delight as UK's biggest bird of prey spotted again on our doorstep
The UK's largest bird of prey has been spotted by an 'eagle-eyed' photographer flying high above Lepe in the New Forest
The Guardian
Could Tenbury Wells be the first UK town centre abandoned over climate change?
Worcestershire town has been flooded seven times in past four years and shop owners can no longer afford insurance
The Independent
Scientists sound alarm about terrifying ocean event that could bring global devastation
The collapse of critical ocean circulation could bring major droughts and freezing temperatures across Europe
The Independent
UK weather: Snow forecast as Britain faces chilly week with Met Office predicting -7C frost
Temperatures to plunge after mild weekend weather with snow forecast for Scotland and northern England
Reuters
Storm Bora floods homes, streets in Greek island of Rhodes
Torrential rains flooded homes, businesses and roads in the popular Greek tourist island of Rhodes on Sunday, forcing authorities to temporarily ban the use of vehicles as Storm Bora pounded the country for a second day. On Saturday, a man died in flash floods which hit another Greek island in the northern Aegean. The fire service received more than 650 calls to pump water out of flooded buildings on Rhodes island and evacuated 80 people to safer ground, with the city of Ialysos hit the hardest.
Manchester Evening News
Met Office warns snow will return to parts of UK within days
The weather will 'turn colder' as we head into next week
CNN
Nearly two million people remain under lake-effect snow warnings
Nearly two million people remain under lake-effect snow warnings through early Monday. CNN’s Polo Sandoval reports.
Manchester Evening News
Met Office warns temperatures could drop to as low as -7C within days
Despite a mild weekend parts of the UK will have freezing weather this week
KameraOne
Bear chases moose family into pond
This is the moment a bear chased a small herd of three moose into a pond in Yukon, Canada on July 17. One of the moose turned around and challenged the bear, causing it to give up on its pursuit.
The Telegraph
Miliband’s green energy plans only ‘artificially’ cheaper than nuclear or gas
Ed Miliband’s plans for green energy are based on assumptions that make them appear “artificially cheaper” than nuclear or gas, according to critics.
The Hill
What Trump’s expected withdrawal from global climate efforts means for the environment — and the economy
President-elect Trump’s victory is expected to result in the U.S. exiting the Paris Agreement once again and more broadly disengaging from global climate efforts. Experts say they don’t expect this to derail international work to address global warming, but that it will cede U.S. leadership on climate issues and technology in a way that could make the country less…
The Guardian
Cheaper loans on table to urge UK motorists to EVs, plus cuts in fines for firms
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds says there is ‘no route to net zero’ that ignores concerns of businesses after wave of closures
Associated Press
Climate solution: Sails make a comeback in shipping, to dent its huge carbon footprint
SAINT-MALO, France (AP) — Had he continued working aboard fuel-powered cargo ships, Yann Jourdan reckons he'd be earning perhaps four times what he now gets as captain of a sailboat that instead uses the wind's clean energy to transport goods across the Atlantic. When his 3-year-old son, Marcel, grows up, the burly French mariner wants to be able to explain what he did to make a dent in the the shipping industry's huge carbon footprint. Mariners pushing for wind power say investors used to view them as something of a joke.
The Guardian
Bear snared after three day supermarket standoff with Japan police
Authorities in Akita prefecture had struggled to locate the animal, which attacked a man and has eaten large quantities of meat
The Hill
Countries deadlock on UN treaty on plastic pollution
Countries have deadlocked on a United Nations treaty on plastic pollution, according to The Associated Press. The treaty, with an aim of tackling worldwide plastic pollution, faced a hurdle due to negotiators not being able to get past the question of whether it should bring down the planet’s overall plastic while also having mandatory controls…
EADT
Large dead shark washes up on beach
A large dead shark has washed up on Walton beach, near Clacton, Essex.
Colchester Evening Gazette
'We are desperately low on newspapers' - wildlife rescue's appeal to save hedgehogs
An animal rescue centre in Thorrington has launched an urgent appeal to the public for newspapers as it continues its vital work saving hundreds of endangered hedgehogs each year.
Reuters
Death toll rises to 12 as Thailand and Malaysia face worst floods in decades
The death toll from the worst floods in decades in southern Thailand and northern Malaysia climbed to at least 12 on Saturday, authorities said, as tens of thousands of people were evacuated due to rising water levels in the past three days. In southern Thailand, the floods have impacted nearly 534,000 households, with the death toll climbing to nine from four reported on Friday and leaving thousands in 200 temporary shelters that have been set up in affected areas, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said. The Chana district of Songkhla province suffered the worst floods in 50 years, with video footage showing people being carried out to trucks from their homes inundated by a torrent of flood water.

Latest stories