Battle to sweep away pavement ice

Usually seen clearing litter, three adapted sweepers with plough, brushes and gritting hoppers will be doing the rounds as the winter starts to bite. Widespread ice is expected throughout the region today, with isolated snow showers possible on the hills.

Hull Council is the first local authority in the UK to start using the City Ranger 2250 for winter maintenance.

The new equipment will be supporting seven gritting machines used to treat 155 miles of carriageway, split into six routes.

The safety transport and hub manager, Richard Townend, said: “While we are unable to predict the severity of what we face in the coming months, we believe that we are fully prepared. We have 5,000 tonnes of salt in stock.

“The safety of drivers, pedestrians, visitors and residents is a 
top priority for us, and we have a team on standby to work 24/7 to keep the city on the move.

“The new equipment will 
allow us to cover more ground in terms of footpaths, use less 
resource and use the right 
amount of grit compared to hand gritting.”