DORSET Council's highway team is preparing for icy roads as the weather gets colder.

The highway team is on standby to ensure our key routes remain safe and passable when temperatures drop this winter.

Just under 100 members of the council's regular highways team are ready to keep roads open day and night.

The depots have been restocked with rock salt, and 25 new vehicles are in place to enhance winter preparations.

Cllr Jon Andrews, Cabinet member for Place Services, said: "As always, we are well-prepared to keep vital roads open during adverse weather conditions.

"Our dedicated teams step away from their regular duties when needed to ensure residents, businesses and emergency services can continue to travel around safely."

Dorset's gritting operations cover 684 miles of roads, forming 23 main gritting routes. These roads are treated when surface temperatures are expected to drop below half of one degree Celsius.

Additionally, community routes serving smaller villages and hamlets will be treated during prolonged periods of freezing temperatures to ensure rural communities can continue to travel.

As the gritting crews comprise Dorset Council employees who carry out other highway maintenance roles, there may be times when more crews are needed for gritting, which may delay other regular highway work.

Cllr Andrews reminded drivers to remain cautious and courteous.

He said: "Conditions can change quickly, so please take care when out and about. If you find yourself behind a gritting vehicle, please be patient and take care on freshly gritted roads."

"Our crews are on call for 6 months every winter to keep our roads safe, stepping away from their busy regular roles. Please be courteous when you see them, whether in the gritter lorry or doing regular highways work. They are working hard to keep Dorset moving and you are safe."

Salt (grit) needs to be dissolved into a solution to work. When roads are gritted, vehicles must travel on them to 'activate' them.

If you travel early in the morning or are the first to drive on a gritted road, drive with care.