EAST Renfrewshire Council has revealed they are "well equipped" to keep the roads and pavements safe over winter.

It comes after the local authority said its winter maintenance crews are ready to manage more than 295 miles of gritting routes across the area.

The teams, who are now on standby, are ready to deal with weather alerts to ensure key routes remain safe.

On top of that, the council says their winter controller receives road updates and weather forecasts at least three times a day, while roadside sensors also send information to help check road conditions in the area.

They have also said warnings of frost, freezing, or snow conditions will result in precautionary salting of priority routes.

According to the local authority, fixed routes are pre-planned and its 171 miles of priority routes are treated in runs.

Last year, residents named the council's five largest gritters after areas throughout the authority.

The gritter names are: Brrrhead - named after Barrhead, Maidenchill - named after Maidenhill, Thaw-rnliebank - named after Thornliebank, Weather-Lee - named after Whitelee Windfarm and Netherlee and We Built This Gritty on Clarkston Toll - named after the song We Built This City by Jefferson Starship.

Now this year, the council has "refreshed its fleet" and has ten gritters.

As part of the extra fleet, they are looking for residents to suggest themed names for its five upgraded gritters via its social media channels.

Barrhead News:

Councillor Danny Devlin, Convener for Environment and Housing, said: “The Council has an essential role in keeping East Renfrewshire’s roads safe over the course of the cold winter months so it’s reassuring to hear the service is prepared for every eventuality.

"Teams work tirelessly each year to salt roads, clear snow, ensure grit bins are well stocked and respond to challenging conditions, so by prioritising routes it ensures main roads remain free from ice and snow as far as possible.

"Unfortunately resources don’t allow every road and pavement in the authority to be treated so support from residents who are able to grit their driveways, pavements and check in on elderly and vulnerable neighbours is always appreciated.

"Please keep an eye on the Council’s social media channels for regular gritting updates during periods of freezing temperatures.”

Meanwhile, a total of 329 standard grit bins and 17 community grit bins are available across the area.