Motorists across Leicestershire are being urged to take extra care when travelling across the county this weekend.
The Met Office has warned that the nights will continue to be cold over the weekend increasing the chances of ice on the roads.
To combat the spate of cold weather, our gritting teams will be out tonight (15 December), and tomorrow night to treat the roads and will continue to do so as required.
The gritters have been out frequently throughout November and December and have continuously been out, during the night and day, treating key routes and assessing minor roads since Saturday, 9 December.
It has been a challenging time for the county due to the recent spate of snow and ice.
“We are keen to minimise disruptions on the road and while not all of the highways network is gritted, we would urge the public to be extra careful on their commutes and keep to the main routes when travelling.
“We are constantly monitoring the weather and if freezing temperatures are forecast, our fleet of gritters will be ready to treat major roads and key routes, which equate to almost half of the county's road network.
Person:Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for highways
We are also encouraging residents to prepare themselves for the cold season by following a few simple steps:
- Familiarise yourself with the gritting routes by visiting leicestershire.gov.uk/gritting
- Keep up to date with local weather using the local radio or following us on twitter @LeicsCountyHall
- Make sure you have your seasonal flu vaccination. Washing your hands will help avoid transmitting cold and flu viruses. Free vaccines are offered to people considered to be at risk of flu, more information can be found by visiting nhs.uk/staywell
- Keep your home warm. Set the timer on your heating to come on before you get up and switch off when you go to bed. The county council’s Warm Homes service helps vulnerable people to save hundreds of pounds on their fuel bills, for advice visit firstcontactplus.org or call 0116 305 4286.