Keeping Bedford Borough Moving this Winter

With the first cold spell of the winter having come and gone earlier this week, Mayor Dave Hodgson has confirmed that Bedford Borough Council has taken a series of measures to help keep the Borough moving through the winter, and to keep residents up to date with the latest information.

The Council has secured over 5,000 tonnes of gritting salt during the spring and summer months to ensure its stocks are topped up and ready if needed. In recent years, Bedford Borough Councl has defied national shortages of gritting salt which have caused roads to grind to a halt elsewhere, thanks to the determination to secure ample supplies in advance, and the same approach has been pursued this year.

The Council's gritting lorries feature the latest technology including GPS transmitters and equipment which ensures salt is spread effectively. Meanwhile, the specially adapted quad bike launched by Mayor Dave will be on call to grit priority areas the lorries cannot reach, such as the town centre and other busy pedestrian areas.

The range of measures to help keep local residents up to date include:

• @grittertweets - The Council's dedicated Twitter service, providing updates on road conditions and gritting runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - twitter.com/grittertweets

• Winter maintenance webpage - A simple and convenient web tool which provides daily updates on public transport, adult transport and bin collections - www.bedford.gov.uk/winterupdates

• GPS tracking - Gritting lorries are fitted with GPS technology which allows anyone to see, in real time, when and where they are working - www.bedford.gov.uk/winterupdates

Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "We know how important it is to local residents that we do all we can to keep the borough's roads moving all year round, rain or shine.'

"That is why we work throughout the year to make sure the Council is as well prepared as possible ahead of the winter weather.'

"We have made sure we are well stocked with plenty of salt to treat our roads and have real time systems to ensure local residents and businesses are kept informed.'

"Of course, we all hope for a mild winter but local residents can be assured that if the weather is harsh, we are well prepared to minimise the impact and keep the borough moving."