A CONVOY of gritters have been deployed by Devon County Council as residents prepare for the coldest night so far this winter with road surface temperatures set to drop with lows of -6.3°C.
It’s expected to be dry tonight with the chance of localised mist patches developing and sub-zero temperatures may last more than 16 hours in some areas.
More than 2,000 miles of Devon’s roads are being treated today.
Main salting routes have been treated earlier this afternoon and will be regritted again at 3am tomorrow in time for the morning rush hour.
Additional treatment has already been applied on the highest routes over Dartmoor, Exmoor and Blackdown Hills.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, county council cabinet member for highway management, said: ‘We’re expecting another cold night, just as we had at the end of last week, so everyone should be prepared for the possibility of waking up to frosty and icy conditions.
‘Every effort has been made to keep the main gritting routes dry, but there may still be icy patches.
‘I would urge everyone to take extra care when travelling, particularly overnight and in the early hours of the morning.’
Motorists are reminded of the following advice:
- Avoid overnight travel unless absolutely essential as roads will always be more hazardous at night.
- Never assume a road has been salted.
- Allow additional time for your journey and reduce your speed.
- Drive with care.
- If you have vulnerable or elderly neighbours, think about how they could possibly be helped through the cold spell.
- Listen to radio stations for updates on current weather conditions.
We will have the latest travel and weather updates along with any related news stories on our website tomorrow morning.
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