Devon County Council's gritters will be out tonight for the first time this year

Devon County Council's fleet of gritters will be heading out on the main gritting routes across the county this evening. 

Tonight, Tuesday, 19 November, will be the first time this winter that all 37 frontline gritters have been called into action, and the Met Office has issued a Yellow Weather Warning for ice in parts of the county until 10am tomorrow morning.

Road surface temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing in most areas of the county overnight, dropping below -2°C in some areas. Following rain showers earlier today, which could turn wintry later, road users are being advised to expect challenging conditions overnight and tomorrow morning with the possibility of icy patches.

Gritters will be treating around 1,700 miles of our road network from around 7pm tonight and will then monitor conditions overnight. Routes on higher ground, such as Dartmoor and Exmoor, will receive multiple treatments.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: "We’ve seen conditions become colder in the last few days, and with road surface temperatures set to drop below zero tonight, there’s a chance that wet patches on the roads may become icy.

"It’s the first time this winter that our gritting teams will be treating the main precautionary gritting routes across the county, but as always, they can’t grit every mile of our network. If you find yourself behind a gritting vehicle please be patient and also take care on freshly gritted roads.

"The forecast is for a mix of conditions for the remainder of this week so I would urge everyone to allow extra time for your journey and drive according to conditions. The combination of freezing temperatures while there’s still a lot of surface water around can make roads hazardous, particularly off the gritting network, so please take extra care." 

Devon County Council has offered the following advice:

• Never assume a road has been salted. Remember that showers or rain will wash salt off roads leaving them prone to ice, and in extreme cold even salting will not stop ice from forming;

• Allow additional time for your journey.

• Reduce your speed and leave more space between you and the vehicle in front;

• Drive with care and according to the conditions;

• Listen to local radio for updates on current weather conditions.

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