Winter Services

Scenes of snow and ice may look delightful but they can make driving and walking hazardous.

During the winter months The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has a Winter Maintenance Policy and operates a gritting programme to help keep conditions as safe as possible.

Why do we need to salt the roads?

Ice can cause accidents and long delays. Salting the road before ice forms makes them safer to drive on and minimises delays.

Where do we salt?

Regular salting is carried out on main roads in the borough, these are called primary routes. During prolonged adverse weather conditions, secondary routes are added to the salting programmes, including some bus routes, roads outside schools, hospitals and some minor roads.

The Council's salting network does not include trunk roads and motorways, which are the responsibility of the Highway Agency.

How is it decided which roads are salted?

As there are limited resources for road salting, the Council prioritises its network in accordance with government guidelines. This is based on the importance of the road with priority given to those roads carrying the heaviest traffic, public transport services and where the risks of accidents are the greatest, in accordance with national guidelines.

When is salting carried out?

Salting is carried out when our forecasting and detection systems indicate road conditions are likely to deteriorate.This is decided by Duty Managers who are on standby 24 hours a day with a taskforce of three salting lorries, ready to deal with bad weather conditions. For salt to be effective it needs to be spread before ice forms. The Council gets information from the London Weather Centre and from a computerised road sensor system. From this information the Duty Managers can decide if salting is necessary and the best time for it to be done. In this way we can provide a cost effective service without compromising road safety. We aim to complete salting within four hours of making the decision.

What about footways?

Footways are not generally pre-salted. However, during prolonged adverse weather conditions we do salt footways and pedestrian areas in the centres of towns and villages, outside schools, hospitals and sheltered accommodation, in conjunction with the secondary road network.

Salt bins - why and where?

There are 44 salt bins located across the Borough, usually sited where there is a steep or hazardous hill, where there are buildings nearby and where salt lorries are unable to access. The bins, which are repaired and replenished throughout the winter, are for public use to help keep the roads clear - but the salt is not intended for use on private drives. If you find a bin which needs refilling please telephone 01628 683800.

What happens when it snows?

The Council will endeavour to clear as many roads as is practical, but its first priority is to clear and keep clear the primary routes. Other roads will be cleared in decending order of priority as resources permit. The lorries will be fitted with snow ploughs and called into service. In extreme conditions the Council will open the Emergency Operations Centre in Windsor and call in additional resources as required.