EXTRA steps have been taken to protect drivers from the hazards of icy roads this winter.

Swindon Council's highway maintenance team has published details of its gritting routes so motorists can find out which roads are likely to offer the most protection from dangerous conditions.

The information is available on the council's website.

"We are trying to make this information more widely available for members of the public," said Derek Edgington, a senior support officer at the Highways Maintenance section of Swindon Council.

"Drivers can now plan their journeys knowing which routes will be gritted."

Sending out the gritting team can cost the council up to £4,000 a time, so officials are keen to ensure they are only called on when needed.

It is up to Mr Edgington to make the call, and he often has to predict what the road conditions will be like six hours ahead.

"Sometimes the roads can warm up by the time the gritters are sent out," he said.

Technology is at the forefront of the battle against ice, and to help them decide whether it is going to be cold enough to necessitate gritting each night, senior support officers study information from an electric weather station sited on the Great Western Way near Toothill.

This is connected to sensors buried in the road that measure temperature about one foot below the surface.

It also collects information on road surface temperature, air temperature, salinity level and wind speed and direction. Met Office reports are also consulted.

Swindon Council has plans to install new weather stations near Chiseldon, Old Town, Stratton St Margaret and near Inglesham.

Its 10-strong gritting team is on call 24-hours a day from mid-October to April each year.

During last season's winter maintenance operations, the coldest recorded temperature was -4.8 at 4am on January 8.

"Last year we had a two-week cold snap when it didn't go above freezing for about six days, and we had to do a lot of gritting work," said Mr Edgington.

The "grit" is actually rock salt, which comes from a mine in Cheshire. It works by dissolving in any water on the road surface and lowering the temperature at which water freezes on the road to as low as -12C.

Swindon Services hold a stockpile of 5,000 tonnes of salt at its Barnfield Road Depot.

Every year the team grits nearly half of Swindon's 760km of roads, in about 25 separate call-outs.

In addition, over 150 grit bins are strategically placed across the borough, usually on hilly locations and sharp bends off gritting routes.

For information on gritting routes go to: www.swindon.gov.uk// index/living/highwaysmanagement/gritting.htm

Call 01793 466344 to report a road that needs gritting.

Andy Tate