Driving update from the County Council

Over the weekend we have had spreaders out on the network to deal with the extreme conditions that we encountered.

On Saturday we were forced very early on to revert to our snow routes, this being as a consequence of the very heavy snow that started in the south and moved north during the course of the afternoon. Temperatures were very low and we experienced significant issues with abandoned cars and numerous road closures instigated by Thames Valley Police.

Yesterday we were able to expand back onto our precautionary network, and undertook two treatments. Conditions were such that these took longer than normal. Where possible we ploughed away slush, however the freezing conditions made even this option difficult at times.

Temperatures this morning are very cold, my own car thermometer registered -13.5C at West Wycombe, whilst Mark Rowe achieved -16C at Great Missenden. On the whole the precautionary network is passable with care, our advice to drivers would remain as before, i.e. only undertake essential journeys and ensure that vehicles are well prepared before commencing.

Moving through this morning we will be spreading grit sand on our secondary network, before moving onto our precautionary routes in preparation for the expected snow flurries later this afternoon. Temperatures through the day are NOT expected to recover significantly, meaning that any thaw will be minimal.

Discussions over the weekend have led us to begin the process of instructing farmers to allow for ploughing on the more rural network. It is our intention to issue contracts to farmers to help clarify the whole process.