Devon's gritting teams will be doing everything possible to keep the roads ice free tonight, but road users are being warned of challenging conditions overnight and into tomorrow morning.
This week’s cold spell has seen the Met Office issue a Yellow Weather Warning for ice and snow from this afternoon until 10am tomorrow morning, and a Yellow Weather Warning for snow throughout all of Wednesday.
Following the deluge of rain over the weekend, tonight’s freezing temperatures and a risk of sleet and snow showers could leave roads treacherous.
Devon’s fleet of gritters are already treating higher routes this afternoon and they will be carrying out multiple treatments on around 1,700 miles of the county’s main salting routes this evening and overnight.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “After so much rain, this week’s forecast is the worst possible combination of weather conditions for anyone travelling around the county. Ground is already saturated and there is still run-off on many roads which could potentially become icy by tomorrow morning, particularly off the salting network.
“The ongoing risk of wintry showers overnight and also on Wednesday will undoubtedly make conditions challenging throughout this week. Our teams will be trying to get as much salt onto the roads as possible but there’s a concern that despite their best efforts, wintry shows could wash that salt away, so please don’t assume a road has been treated. As always, our advice is to drive according to conditions. Please leave plenty of time for your journey, reduce your speed and take extra care.”
The County Council is reminding people of the following advice:
Never assume a road has been salted. Remember that showers or rain will wash salt off roads leaving them prone to ice, and in extreme cold even salting will not stop ice from forming;
Allow additional time for your journey;
Reduce your speed and leave more space between you and the vehicle in front;
Drive with care and according to the conditions;
If you have vulnerable or elderly neighbours, think about how they could possibly be helped through the cold spell;
Try to maintain indoor temperatures to at least 18C, particularly if you are not mobile, have long-term illness or are 65 or over. The NHS website has more information on staying healthy during cold weather;
Listen to local radio for updates on current weather conditions.
A Yellow Cold Health Alert is currently in force for the south west until 6pm on Saturday (23 November). For more information visit the UKHSA webpages.
More information and advice is available on our winter travel webpages or for updates follow @DevonAlert on X (Twitter) and Facebook.
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