Ref: PR2034
Date: 04/12/08

Wakefield Council had highways operatives on stand by overnight on Wednesday and Thursday morning in readiness for the forecast heavy snowfalls early on this morning.

Full treatments were carried out on the precautionary salting routes - about 40% of the local road network. Precautionary gritting is carried out on all A and B classification roads, commuter routes, steep main distributor roads to villages, housing or industrial estates, including main hospitals and large schools.

This means gritting is carried out on 558km of the district's 1360km highway network and is in line with recommendations made in a National Code of Practice.

Wakefield Council's Chief Executive Joanne Roney said: "We have plans to deal with bad weather and these were immediately put into place to ensure that the district could keep moving and services could be delivered this morning.

"I am grateful to the staff who worked through the night to clear the roads. We are continuing to monitor the weather forecasts today and will deploy our operatives where they are most needed."

Rain turned to snow at around 5.15am on Thursday and gritters with ploughs immediately despatched to keep roads clear for the morning rush hour.

Snow then turned back to rain and gritters were moved from main routes to other roads where Waste Services are due to carry out the refuse/recycling service, in order to assist this important function.

Rain is expected to die out today with a widespread frost forecast tonight when gritters will be again deployed across the district.

Three schools and the Priory Centre inclusion learning centre were closed on today due to the weather conditions. They were Stanley St Peter's, Hemsworth West End Primary (foundation stage only)and Streethouse Primary.

Knottingley Church of England Primary also remained closed, but this was due to heating/electrical problems which started earlier this week.

Ends