Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

A few basic thoughts for you.

WC aims to make roads as safe as possible.

The 'main road' salting run covers around 725 miles (25% of the entire road network) and costs about £17,000. It uses 168 tonnes of salt and the council buys 14,000 tonnes per season. At the end of last winter the council had only 210 tonnes left!

A few tips about salt. 1) Salt is not effective once the surface temperature falls below -8 degrees Centigrade. 2) Salt requires tyre action to make it more efficient. 3) If it rains, the salt will be washed off of the road. 4) Putting salt on thick snow will do nothing. The snow must be removed before salt is put down.