Essex County Council (ECC) is advising residents to continue with care following heavy snowfall over the weekend.

The Essex Highways fleet of 60 winter gritting lorries treated roads five times on Sunday (January 20) and again in the early hours on Monday, ahead of the morning peak. Snow ploughs were used where required, with local farmers assisting in some areas.

Gritters will be back out from midday today (January 21), and decisions on further runs will be taken as required. Staff are on call 24 hours a day and the county’s salt supplies remain at a healthy level.

esidents can keep up to speed with the Essex Highways gritting lorries online, via a new live tracking system available at essex.gov.uk/highways. Residents can also receive the latest gritting updates by following @Essex_Travel on Twitter.

County councillor Derrick Louis, cabinet member for highways and transportation said: “Our gritters have done an excellent job of keeping the main roads throughout the county clear, despite some treacherous conditions over the weekend. We are constantly monitoring weather forecasts, and decisions on further gritting runs will be taken as required. I advise residents to continue to travel carefully, especially on untreated side roads and pavements.”

Essex Highways is required to focus resources on keeping major roads clear, so it operates a specified salting network. This includes all ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads, access routes for emergency services, rural link roads and major public transport routes. To check which routes will be treated, visit essex.gov.uk/highways.

The website also features tips and advice on winter driving and how to clear snow and ice safely.