DEVON’S highway teams are prepared and ready to keep the county moving this winter, the county council has said.

Last winter’s biggest issue was the prolonged wet spell which caused extensive damage to Devon’s highway network.

This led to a 31 percent increase in pothole repairs between January and April, compared to 2023, and 94 percent more than the same period in 2022.

However, in terms of dealing with icy conditions, last winter was relatively quiet, with Devon County Council’s (DCC) gritting teams only using around 6,200 tonnes of salt – which was less than half the amount used the previous winter.

But more time was spent cleaning gullies and clearing debris from roads due to torrential rain and several named storms.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, DCC’s cabinet member for Highway Management, says it highlights that Devon’s highway teams have to be prepared for all eventualities over the next few months.

Councillor Hughes said: ‘From one winter to the next you never know how bad conditions will be, so our teams have to be ready for whatever they may have to face.

‘We’ve ensured that our depots are fully stocked with salt at the start of the season and our frontline gritters are on standby to treat our precautionary salting routes as and when needed.’

As part of the ongoing upgrade of Devon’s fleet of 37 frontline gritters, another six gritters have been replaced with newer models ahead of this winter.

These replacement vehicles include touchscreen controls to enable drivers to adjust their plough attachments without leaving their cab.

Around 24,000 tonnes of salt are stored in gritting depots across the county at the start of the season.

More information and advice is available on DCC’s winter travel webpagesor for updates on Twitter (X) follow @DevonAlert and Facebook.