BRING on the winter - Suffolk County Council is ready to tackle the ice and snow.

This year the gritting season started early in Suffolk – the first trip by gritters took place on 15 October, the earliest for years.

County councillor with responsibility for transport Guy McGregor visited the stocks of grit at the county’s Phoenix House depot behind Asda on the edge of Ipswich.

He said: “Our teams use the latest weather systems to monitor road temperatures and take decisions just hours in advance, sending our gritters out if necessary.

“We are responsible for keeping traffic moving over 1,200 miles of roads, and that’s just for our priority major roads and busy commuter routes.”

Community volunteers also have a vital role when it comes to using locally supplied grit bins to keep residential roads, school playgrounds and pavements clear from ice and snow. There are approximately 1,100 grit bins and 1,300 grit heaps across Suffolk spread by community volunteers.