THE county’s salting lorries have already completed trial runs to ensure that its vehicles are in good working order in preparation for the winter ahead.

The vehicles went out on Hampshire’s roads to check for unexpected obstructions on the routes, that all equipment is fully operational and to identify any potential problems. They also spread a bit of salt, for good measure.

The council’s annual winter maintenance programme swings into action on October 1 each year in readiness for the first frosts and snow of the season, and teams will be monitoring forecast and sensors daily until April to assess when salting is needed.

A number of factors are considered when deciding when to salt the roads, including a specially provided weather forecast, and the Icelert system.

The Icelert system consists of a number of roadside sensors which detect road and air temperatures, wind speed and direction, rainfall, and ice formation.

Hampshire’s winter maintenance teams treat roads on a priority basis – ‘priority one’ routes carry the majority of the total traffic in Hampshire and include A roads, major bus routes, and roads to major emergency services.

During periods of prolonged severe weather, ‘priority two’ and ‘community’ routes are treated. Priority two routes include B roads and single accesses to villages, and ‘community routes’ ensure roads to smaller schools, GPs surgeries and areas of community activity are covered.