Somerset Council is set to invest up to £2.3 million in purchasing 14 new gritter lorries ahead of the approaching winter season. This move aims to ensure that major transport routes across Somerset remain open and safe despite harsh ice and snow conditions.
Currently, the council operates a fleet of 23 dedicated gritters, deployed every winter to salt roads and prevent hazardous driving conditions. Last winter, two new vehicles were added to the fleet, named Basil Salty and Gritney Spears, chosen through a creative competition held among Somerset schools, with winning entries from South Somerset Partnership School and Bucklers Mead Academy in Yeovil.
However, ten of the council’s gritters are nearing the end of their service life, with many experiencing significant corrosion and wear caused by heavy winter salting. Maintenance costs have risen sharply as a result. To address this, the council has signed a contract with Romaquip to replace 14 aging vehicles, with an option to purchase up to five more in the future if necessary.
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Jeremy Fry, Somerset Council’s Infrastructure and Transport Officer for Highways Operations, highlighted the urgency of renewing the fleet. “Nine of our gritters are over ten years old, and another nine are between five and ten years old. The corrosive nature of grit and salt leads to accelerated deterioration, causing increasingly frequent and costly maintenance,” he explained. Fry added that the aging fleet poses a risk to reliable service delivery because vehicles often require time off the road for repairs.
The new vehicles will help the council fulfill its statutory duties under the Highways Act 1980, which mandates keeping highways safe and passable during adverse weather. Currently, the council spends approximately £200,000 annually on maintaining its winter service vehicles.
The £2.3 million investment will be spread over four years as part of the council’s capital programme. While there is an option to lease additional gritters annually, this was dismissed due to budget constraints and the absence of revenue to cover leasing costs. Hiring seven vehicles this winter, for example, would exceed £218,000—a sum deemed too costly compared to purchasing new vehicles.
No specific timeline has been provided yet for when the new gritters will be fully operational, but the investment reflects Somerset Council’s commitment to winter road safety and infrastructure resilience.