PLANS are in place to keep East Renfrewshire’s motorists moving this winter.

East Renfrewshire Council has stocked up on more than 4,500 tonnes of salt and put 13 grit lorries on standby to treat the region’s 313km of roads.

Teams will be ready to grit roads and footpaths on a round-the-clock basis until the end of April whenever its dedicated forecasting service serves notice of severe weather.

They will also top up more than 300 street bins and 18 larger community bins so that residents in areas the local authority cannot treat can help themselves.

Council chiefs say that, as the region has 475km of roads – enough to travel from here to Edinburgh and back three times – they will ensure “priority routes” are treated first.

These span across 313km, around 65 per cent, of the local authority area and include main ‘A’ roads, access to fire stations, main bus routes and routes to local employment areas.

Gritters will then move on to the region’s streets and pavements.

Council leader Tony Buchanan said: “A huge amount of work by dedicated staff goes into keeping East Renfrewshire moving in the winter months.

“Whilst we always aim to provide the best possible service, we cannot guarantee that all roads will always be completely free of ice and snow. Sometimes freezing weather happens at the same time as peak traffic levels. This makes it difficult for gritting vehicles to get on to the road network.

“Even when we have salted the roads, it takes time for it to work. Rain can wash the salt off roads and they may ice over again – and, in severe weather conditions, even salting will not prevent the roads from icing up.

“In severe conditions, we may have to continue treating our main routes until such times as they are considered safe before we can attend to minor roads.”

Councillor Buchanan added: “If you are out on the roads in bad weather, please take account of the weather conditions.

“We cover a huge portion of our priority routes and have over 300 street grit bins and some larger community bins in key locations so residents can help themselves and their neighbours by treating their local areas and routes.

“By communities coming together and doing their bit, we can ensure East Renfrewshire keeps moving this winter.”

To access more information about preparing for the winter weather, visit www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/winter-maintenance.