Item 10 - Appendix 1
West Dunbartonshire Council · 21 May 2025
Back to Infrastructure, Regeneration & Economic Development Committee — 21 May 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Page | 1 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 Winter Plan 2025-2030 ITEM 10 - APPENDIX 1
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Page | 2 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 Introduction West Dunbartonshire Council (The Council) as Roads Authority has a statutory obligation under the provisions of Section 34 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, to take such steps as it considers reasonable to prevent snow and ice or indeed the consequences of any other weather condition endangering the safe passage of vehicular and pedestrian traffic over the Councils public roads. The intention of this duty is not that the council will take immediate and simultaneous steps to clear/treat every road whenever ice formations or snow accumulations, floods, fallen trees or other impediments exist. To do so would be impossible and beyond the limit of the resources available and, indeed, this is recognised by the Courts. West Dunbartonshire Council meets its statutory obligation through development of an annual Winter Plan. This is done through adoption of a risk-based approach and analysis of local strategies, objectives and available resources. In line with recognised national guidance and standards, Well Managed Highway Infrastructure: a Code of Practice (2016), a Winter Plan is developed which will better meet the specific needs of their authority. Winter Service deals with regular, frequent and reasonably predictable occurrences like low temperatures, ice and snow, as well as with exceptional events. Whilst the effects of climate change are likely to result in an increased frequency and intensity of severe winter events, these can be considered in Winter Service planning. Therefore, the Winter Plan can and should be subject to the same regime of planning, delivering, reviewing and improving as other aspects of the road’s maintenance regime. The purpose of the Council’s Winter Plan is to set out the operational parameters and procedures that will ensure that the statutory obligations are achieved. This plan is for the adopted public road network only with the exception of the Trunk Roads which are the responsibility of Transport Scotland. Additionally, all other Council owned land, and properties would be subject to the treatment procedures of the relevant responsible service departments. Gail Macfarlane Chief Officer - Roads and Neighbourhood
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Page | 3 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 Contents 1. Statement of Policies and Responsibilities 1.1 Statutory Obligations and Policies 1.2 Responsibilities 1.3 Decision Making Process 1.4 Arrangements with Adjacent Authorities 2. Document Control 2.1 Document Control 3. Treatment Route Planning 3.1 Carriageways 3.2 Footways /Footpaths 3.3 Treatment Policy 3.4 Location and Maintenance of Salt / Grit Bins 4. Weather Prediction and Information 4.1 Support Information 4.2 Timing and Circulation of Information 4.3 Reporting Procedures 4.4 Maintenance of Ice Detection Equipment 5. Organisational Arrangements and Personnel 5.1 Organisational Chart and Responsibilities 5.2 Training 5.3 Health and Safety 6. Plant, Vehicles and Equipment 6.1 Location of Plant, Vehicles and other Equipment 6.2 Servicing and Maintenance Arrangements 6.3 Additional Resources 6.4 Calibration Procedures
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Page | 4 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 7. Salt and De-Icing Materials 7.1 Location and Capacity of Stocks 7.2 Testing Arrangements 7.3 Loading Arrangements 7.4 Treatment Requirements 7.5 Salt Spread Rates 7.6 Salt Purchasing Arrangements and Supplies 8. Operational Communications 8.1 Technical Systems Information 8.2 Reporting Arrangements and Protocols 9. Information and Publicity 9.1 Local Press and Broadcast Information 9.2 Publicity 9.3 Other Key Local and National Contact Information 9.4 Records 10. Contingency Arrangements for Severe Events 10.1 Incident Management 10.2 Incident Escalation – Major Incident Co-ordination 10.3 Footways 10.4 Footways / Footpaths 10.5 Communications 10.6 Operations Logs 10.7 End of Operations and Debrief
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Page | 5 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 1. Statement of Policies and Responsibilities 1.1 Statutory Obligations and Policy Section 34 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 states “a roads authority shall take such steps as they consider reasonable to prevent snow and ice endangering the safe passage of pedestrians and vehicles over public roads”. In this context “public roads” means all carriageways, footways, footpaths, pedestrian precincts etc. entered in a roads authority’s List of Public Roads. Adjacent Roads Authorities have responsibility for those section of infrastructure under their control. These Authorities include Transport Scotland for the Trunk Road Network, Glasgow City Council, East Dunbartonshire Council, Stirling Council and Argyll and Bute Council. The Trunk Roads within West Dunbartonshire are currently managed and maintained by Amey Highways on a contractual basis. Any cross-boundary gritting carried out for adjacent authorities shall be carried out in accordance with these procedures. The aim of this Winter Plan is to set out how the Winter Service for roads will be provided for West Dunbartonshire and the aims of our Winter Service are to: (i) Provide a standard or service on public roads that will permit safe movement of vehicle and pedestrian traffic consistent with the Council’s priorities, the prevailing weather conditions and the available resources. (ii) Establish a pattern of working which will keep delays, diversions or road closures to a minimum during adverse weather conditions. (iii) Conduct operations having regard to the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. 1.2 Responsibilities Roads and Neighbourhood Services is responsible for the delivery of the Council’s Winter Service. The overall Roads function within the Department is managed by the Chief Officer of Roads and Neighbourhood Services with the enabling and delivery of the Winter Service the responsibility of the Roads and Transportation Manager. The management structure is detailed below:
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Page | 6 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 Chief Officer Roads and Transportation Manager Roads Operations Services Co-ordinator The responsibilities of Roads Operations include: • Designing a service to cope with an average winter while having the capability to be extended or adapted when winters are more severe or of a longer duration than average. • Production and distribution of the Winter Plan. • Carrying out an annual review of all aspects of the service and updating the Winter Plan. • Liaising with adjacent roads authorities and Transport Scotland and their agents (who have responsibility for the Trunk Road network) in the preparation of the Winter Plan to ensure continuity of service across boundaries. • Providing a list of roads designated for salting treatment. • Providing a list of footways and pedestrian areas for salting / gritting treatment where appropriate. • Providing a list of roads that make up the strategic routes for snow clearing. • Providing decision – making advice and guidance for those involved in the Winter Service. • Liaising with the Winter Service Duty Managers and Officers to provide help and advise to ensure the service is delivered in the most effective, efficient and economical way, including establishing operational priorities during extreme or prolonged severe weather conditions. • Arranging for weather forecasts, ice prediction reports and road and weather monitoring information to be available throughout the winter period. • Arranging for the specialist vehicles and equipment to be available throughout the winter period. • Arranging for supplies of salt to be available at the start of the winter season.
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Page | 7 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 • Monitoring the salt usage and ensuring supplies are replenished to maintain an appropriate level of salt in the stockpile. • Establishing contact numbers for access to emergency services control rooms, public transport operators, local media and the motoring organisations. • Passing of information on road conditions to councillors, the council’s press officer, local media or general public as and when required. • Monitoring all aspects of the winter service and providing information on performance indicators for the service. • Maintaining full and comprehensive records of all winter service activities. • Directing all salting and snow clearing resources at their disposal. • Liaising, when necessary, with the Road Weather Forecaster. • Monitoring the ‘ice prediction’ forecasts and weather conditions. • Assessing the requirement to carry out precautionary or post salting treatment or snow clearance on the defined network, deciding appropriate start times and rates of spread and arranging for the work to be carried out, monitoring treatments and amending instructions, when necessary, due to a change of road or weather conditions; • Assessing the need to carry out post salting or snow clearance to footways and ensuring the works are carried out when necessary. • Assessing the need to carry out post salting or snow clearance of the remaining road network during prolonged spells of sub-zero temperatures, and ensuring the works are carried out when necessary. • In the event of deteriorating conditions, notably major blockages to the primary route network and/ or severe drifting snow to contact: a) The Council’s Civil Contingencies Service b) The Emergency Services Control Rooms (Police, Ambulance, Fire). c) The Council’s Communications Team. d) The Convenor for Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development.
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Page | 8 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 • Maintaining a list of contractors and other Council Departments with suitable plant for snow clearing purposes and hiring in such plant when necessary to do so. • Liaising on operational matters when appropriate with the adjacent Local Authorities and Transport Scotland and their agents (who have responsibility for the Motorway and Trunk Road network) to ensure continuity of treatment across authority boundaries. • Liaising when appropriate with the Emergency Services and Public Transport Operators. • Providing accurate and timely information to the Council’s Customer Contact Centre. • Ensuring the Transport workshops are notified of any vehicle faults and that they are repaired without delay. • Arranging with the Transport workshops for appropriate staff to be available to deal with any serious mechanical breakdowns as required • Checking and calibrating salt spreading equipment. • Ensuring all operatives receive adequate and appropriate training in Winter Service activities and that drivers are issued with route cards. 1.3 Decision Making Process The day-to-day routine operational decisions will be made by the Winter Service Duty Manager, which is normally a Service Manager or Works Manager on a rota basis, using Met Desk weather forecasts and the road and weather monitoring data. The winter period will be from the beginning of October to the end of April. On receipt of a weather forecast or update throughout the winter period the Winter Service Duty Manager will reach a decision on action for the next 24 hours. If treatment is planned a decision record will be produced which will include the required salt spread rate. If the decision record includes post salting and / or snow clearance this will be noted on the decision record and noted on the record sheets. This decision will be distributed to appropriate operational personnel as described in section 4.2.
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Page | 9 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 The Council will endeavour to ensure that salt is spread, as necessary, prior to the formation of ice or the settling of snow on the network as dictated by our defined priorities. 1.4 Arrangements with Adjacent Authorities Reciprocal arrangements have been made with adjacent authorities to ensure the most efficient and consistent treatment of routes at boundaries. These arrangements will be attached to the Winter Plan for information in advance of the Winter Service commencing. 2. Document Control 2.1 Document Control This Winter Plan will be issued and updated in a controlled manner and a record of distribution will be maintained by the Roads and Transportation Manager. The Winter Plan will be reviewed annually and issued for information to the Emergency Services and other relevant parties and organisations. A full distribution list will be attached to the Winter Plan. 3. Treatment Route Planning 3.1 Carriageways Routes for treatment are reviewed on an annual basis, including route optimisation when appropriate, taking into account any alterations to the roads which are treated under the specified gritting criteria. Carriageway Priorities: (P1) ‘A’ class roads and main radial routes within West Dunbartonshire (P2) ‘B’ class roads and main distributor and main bus routes including, where appropriate, access routes to hospitals; ambulance depots, main police stations and fire stations and schools. (P3) Local distributor roads including those serving industrial estates, isolated communities or dependent establishments. (P4) Local access roads within communities and local rural roads.
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Page | 10 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 Generally, only priorities 1 and 2 will be treated outwith normal working hours. The route priorities are set around the requirements to pre-treat in advance of freezing conditions or react to developed hazards within a reasonably practicable timescale within the confines of the resources available. Under standard conditions, pre-treatment routes are designed to be completed within 4 hours of mobilisation. Where hazards re-occur after treatment or in conditions where instantaneous hazards occur, resources may be required to concentrate on re-application of several treatments prior to moving on. In such circumstances the highest priority routes, experiencing such conditions, will generally be treated first and resources will only be released to other priorities once it is determined that treatments have an expectation of remaining effective. All priority 3 and 4 roads will only be treated during periods of prolonged inclement weather and even then, only when resources allow, and the priority 1 and 2 roads are running clear. Our priority 3 and priority 4 routes can often take a number of days to complete and in many circumstances weather conditions may dissipate before any treatment can be carried out. 3.2 Footways / Footpaths The treatment of footways will only be undertaken in periods of severe weather or prolonged hazards and when additional resources are unable to undertake their normal duties as a direct result of the weather conditions. In such instances the Winter Service Duty Manager, in consultation with senior management officers, may take the decision to divert resources to the treatment of our priority footways should operatives be unable to undertake normal working activities. There will be no pre-treatment of the footways as part of our standard day to day gritting activities. Any footway treatment undertaken will be restricted to normal working hours and the above. The footway routes will be reviewed annually based on the following priorities. Priority 1 - Urban Shopping Areas and Precincts Priority 2 - Other areas of high pedestrian concentration, e.g. in the vicinity of hospitals and schools. Priority 3 - Steep hills in housing developments and in the vicinity of residential homes for the elderly.
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Page | 11 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 3.3 Treatment Policy (i) When instructed all priority 1 and 2 carriageways shall be treated prior to the morning peak traffic either by pre-grit or early morning treatment. (ii) All routes designated, or action shall be commenced within 1 hour of a call-out. (iii) Drivers will be familiarised with routes as appropriate and route cards carried in gritters. (iv) All Roads Operatives should be experienced and updated in winter service plant and procedures prior to 1 October each year. (v) Plant shall be calibrated and tested prior to 1 October each year. (vi) In marginal weather forecast conditions winter service treatment may be restricted to optimised patrol routes with the potential of extending the service in event of a deterioration in road conditions. 3.4 Location and Maintenance of Grit Bins Grit bins for use on public roads and footways are sited locally for self-help by the public and topped up with a combination of salt and grit throughout the winter by West Dunbartonshire Council as resources allow. The locations of all council grit bins are shown on the Council’s website winter pages. A grit bin location will only be considered where there is a clear and significant benefit to road users or pedestrians. Any requests for additional grit bins should meet the following criteria: a) The proposed location must be on and provide a service to a public road or footpath. b) The proposed location should have a steep gradient (in excess of 1:12) over a reasonable length or topographical feature which merits consideration. c) The proposed location must service and be of benefit to several properties (applications will not normally be considered where only an individual property is being serviced) d) any location which has historically displayed poor drainage locations and has a history of accidents e) The proposed location must be accessible for cleaning and filling the grit bin.
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Page | 12 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 f) In normal circumstances grit bins will only be provided in urban areas. g) Siting of a grit bin shall be at the discretion of the Council after inspection of the site, and where appropriate in liaison with adjacent residents. h) The proposed location should not be within 300m of an existing grit bin. i) The total number of grit bins will be monitored and reviewed to reflect the operational capacity available within Greenspace to manage the filling/refilling. The Service will assess location specific conditions to determine if a site requires a departure from the criteria set. This is expected with limited applications. West Dunbartonshire Council reserves the right to remove a grit bin at any time for whatever reason. The Council will maintain the grit bins, i.e. refill as resources permit, clean the bins of refuse and repair or replace damaged bins. Grit bins will remain in position all year, only in exceptional cases where it is established that they are being subjected to vandalism would consideration be given to removing them, out with the winter period. 4. Weather Prediction and Information 4.1 Support Information The support information for use in decision making will usually be a combination of the Road Weather Forecast, Road and Weather Monitoring Data and Patrolling of the network. Planning and Transport is a partner in a collaborative contract with the Met Desk to supply forecasts for West Dunbartonshire each day over the period 1st October to 15th May. The road weather forecasts are provided by Met Desk via a computer link during the normal working day or a portable computer to the Winter Service Duty Manager outwith normal hours. Should any problems exist with the computer systems for obtaining the weather forecast alternative arrangements are in place. Ice Detection Outstations are installed at selected locations within the area. Access to information from the stations is available to the Winter Service Duty Managers via the web. The data available from the outstations, which can be presented in both graphic and tabular format include: -
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Page | 13 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 a) road surface temperature b) deep road temperature c) air temperature d) wind speed and direction e) relative humidity f) precipitation g) surface state (including level of salt present on road surface) Met Desk received information from the outstations, improving the accuracy of their 24-hour forecasts, which are provided as follows: - a) Morning Summary – available from around 07:00 hours b) Main Lunchtime Forecast – available around 12:00 hours. This forecast contains a 24-hour text forecast giving: i) details and confidence of hazards from Ice, Hoar Frost, Snow, Fog, Strong Wind and Rain. ii) wind speed and direction, road state, and snow depth accumulations. iii) A 2–5-day forecast of expected hazards of Ice, Hoar Frost, Snow, Fog, Strong Wind and Rain with comments on the outlook. c) Evening Update – available from around 19:00 hours. This forecast provides the same information as the lunchtime forecast, with any changes highlighted. Met Desk carries out 24-hour monitoring of conditions and if these vary significantly, they will issue an updated forecast. Met Desk provides a 24-hour consultancy service for the Winter Service Duty Manager for advice and clarification of forecasts. 4.2 Timing and Circulation of Information The Winter Service Duty Manager will receive the weather forecast each day at around 12:00 hours and will assess and consult on the forecast and any other relevant data and decide what action to take if any. An instruction will then be circulated to the relevant staff and interested parties detailing the action proposed.
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Page | 14 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 The Met Desk website will be used to circulate the Duty Manager’s decision. This website has a message board facility to document and e-mail all the actions for each day to a pre-determined distribution list. Updated forecasts are received at 19:00 hours each night and 07:00 hours each morning by the Winter Service Duty Manager who will then, if necessary, circulate revised instructions via the Met Desk website. If the weather changes out with these times Met Desk will contact the Winter Service Duty Manager with a revised forecast. Any amendment made to previous instructions after an update will be passed to the Winter Service Duty Officer immediately and the amended instructions will be circulated in the aforementioned manner. The Roads and Transportation Manager will ensure that the distribution list is kept up to date and that all records of decision are retained. 4.3 Reporting Procedures Routine operating decisions will be reported as in section 4.2 above. During extreme conditions, such as heavy snowfalls when the treatment is limited only to Snow Clearing Routes, appropriate senior personnel will be regularly updated on the situation. 4.4 Maintenance of Ice Detection Equipment Maintenance arrangements are in place for these outstations and the appropriate company carried out any essential maintenance. 5. Organisational Arrangements and Personnel 5.1 Organisational Chart and Responsibilities The chart below shows the organisational arrangement for day-to-day operation of the service: Winter Service Duty Manager Winter Service Duty Officer Winter Service Crew
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Page | 15 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 Specific standby arrangements regulating the availability of labour resources for winter service come into effect from the start of the first full week of October and continue until the end of the last week in April, although the period may be extended beyond this date should conditions warrant such actions. These arrangements allow the designated Winter Service Duty Officers to mobilise resources quickly when action is required. Labour resources should be set at a level which reflects the Council’s objective to treat all routes defined in priority category 1 and 2 (Section 3.3) before the morning peak. The contact details and numbers for all winter service management and staff are retained at the Council’s Elm Road Depot during normal office hours. 5.2 Training Winter Service Duty Managers should receive Met Desk training. Winter Service Duty Officers and Winter Service Crew should receive training on all aspects of their duties. All Winter Service Crew will undergo a familiarisation exercise with all plant and procedures before the onset of the Winter Service period. All Winter Service Operatives either have an SVQ certificate in Winter Maintenance or are working towards achieving one. 5.3 Health and Safety The Winter Service Duty Manager is responsible for the Health and Safety Procedures for all Winter Service staff. During Winter Service operations, drivers / operatives must adhere to the following health and safety documentation: - • West Dunbartonshire Council Health and Safety Policies and Guidance. • Risk Assessments for Individual Activities • Safe Working Procedures
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Page | 16 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 6. Plant, Vehicles and Equipment 6.1 Location of Plant, Vehicles and Other Equipment The Department’s fleet of gritters operates from the depot located at Elm Road, Dumbarton and Stanford Street, Clydebank. Additional vehicles, plant and equipment as necessary to enable the service to be delivered is provided as required. Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking equipment is installed in all the vehicles to establish accurate treatment records 6.2 Servicing and Maintenance Arrangements The maintenance of all vehicles used to provide the Winter Service is carried out by the Council’s Transport Section which is part of the Roads and Neighbourhood Service. Hired vehicles will be serviced by the hire company. 6.3 Additional Resources During severe weather conditions the Roads and Transportation Manager may augment resources from other West Dunbartonshire Council Departments, private contractors and farmers at rates agreed in advance by West Dunbartonshire Council. 6.4 Calibration Procedures Pre-winter checks and calibration on all vehicles, plant and equipment, used to provide the Winter Service will be carried out by the beginning of October and confirmation of their readiness given to the Roads and Transportation Manager. The Transport Section will ensure that the controls of all spreading equipment are calibrated and clearly marked for specified rates of spread up to a maximum of 40g/m2. Guidelines for spreading rates of salt are detailed in section 7.5. 6.5 Fuel Stocks and Locations Fuel stocks for the dedicated salt spreading and other vehicles being used for winter service operations are provided at the Council’s Elm Road Depot. Vehicles have 24hr access to fuel and a fuel card system is in operation. All vehicles should remain topped up ready for immediate use.
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Page | 17 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 7. Salt and De-Icing Materials 7.1 Location and Capacity of Stocks Salt is the principal de-icing agent used in West Dunbartonshire, and this will be supplied in compliance with BS3247: 1991. Salt is stored within a salt dome at the Council’s Elm Road Depot and covered building in Stanford Street Depot, Clydebank. The storage capacity of the store is 4,000 tonnes and orders will be placed to ensure that the stores are fully stocked by 1 October each year. Minimum stock levels are key to providing a good level of resilience throughout the winter period and a minimum stock level of 2,000 tonnes will operate until the end of February each year. The Roads Operations team are responsible for ordering salt as required in accordance with section 7.6. 7.2 Testing Arrangements Salt for use on roads during winter should be fine rock salt to the requirements for BS3247: 1991 Specification for salt for spreading on highways for winter maintenance. Appropriate testing will be carried out to ensure compliance with this standard and the original test certificates will be retained by the Roads and Transportation Service. 7.3 Loading Arrangements The responsibility for delivering salt to the store lies with the salt supplier. The Winter Service Duty Manager will arrange for a contractor to load the salt into the store. This will require the contractor to produce a dynamic risk assessment, considering the salt levels in the store. The Winter Service Duty Manager will arrange for a review of the risk assessment. Loading of salt from the store to vehicles will be carried out in accordance with a safe working procedure developed by the Winter Service Duty Manager. 7.4 Treatment Requirements Pretreatment is the most effective way of dealing with both snow and ice. The gritters are to be set to salt the appropriate width of carriageway, which may be both lanes of single carriageways or both lanes of one side of a dual carriageway or 4 lane road. The gritter will generally travel in the left-hand lane and the spreading pattern will be set to cover both lanes unless multiple passes are required on a wide one-way road.
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Page | 18 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 7.5 Salt Spread Rates The variable nature of winter conditions makes it difficult to define exact treatments and salt applications. Guidance on appropriate spread rates is given below: Precautionary Treatment – Salt Spread Rates Weather Conditions Treatment (g/m2) Ice and / or light snow expected 10 Freezing conditions expected after rain 20 Continuous snow expected 30-40 Precautionary Treatment – Salt Spread Rates Road Surface Conditions Air Temperature Treatment Ice formed Above -5oC stable 20-40g/m2 Hard packed snow / ice Below -5oC 20-40g/m2 successive Snow cover exceeds 30mm Above -5oC 20-40g/m2 and ploughing Snow accumulation – prolonged falls Above -5oC stable 20-40g/m2 and continuous ploughing Priority Footways – all above conditions - 40g/m2 salt / grit mix A salt / grit mix will be used in appropriate circumstances. Sustained low temperatures occur only rarely. In this event however, account will be taken of the need to increase the rate of spread of salt. Below -11oC the action of salt is ineffective. 7.6 Salt Purchasing Arrangements and Supplies Salt is purchased through a collaborative contract and bulk stored with the salt store in Elm Road and Stanford Street Depots. Supplies are ordered prior to the winter maintenance season. Prior to 1st October 2025, the Roads and Neighbourhood Manager will reassess stock levels together with committed deliveries against requirements and arrange for alternative sources of supply to make good any anticipated deficiencies.
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Page | 19 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 During the season, the Winter Service Duty Manager will arrange for a weekly check to be made on the amount of salt used and for stocks to be augmented as necessary. 8. Operational Communications 8.1 Technical Systems Information Good communications are essential to ensure a speedy and effective response to winter conditions. The Roads and Transportation Manager will ensure that contact details, including telephone numbers, for communication with the Weather Forecast Provider, Police, Emergency Services, Public Transport Operators and Motoring Organisations are available to the Winter Service Duty Managers and Officers. The Roads and Transportation Manager should arrange for a review of the contact details at the start of each winter period to ensure that they are up to date. The Winter Service Duty Managers and Officers will be issued with mobile phones so that they can be contacted at any time regarding Winter Service operations. The Roads and Transportation Manager will keep a list of all telephone contact numbers for his operation personnel on Winter Service standby duties. This list will be distributed to the Winter Service Duty Managers, Officers and Depot Watchmen. It will be the responsibility of each individual to inform the Roads and Transportation Manager of any changes to the contact numbers. During salting and snow clearance operations each vehicle is fitted with an appropriate communications device to allow safe contact with the depot. All gritters are fitted with a GPS system which allows the sections of road which have been treated to be clearly identified along with a time of treatment. The Roads and Transportation Manager is responsible for ensuring that the operational communications equipment is functional. 8.2 Reporting Arrangements and Protocols The Winter Service Duty Manager will circulate the ‘Daily Decision’ to the Winter Service Duty Officer and Depot Watchman to allow the appropriate mobilisation of Winter Service Crew as soon as it has been reached. The ‘Daily Decision’ will be copied, for information, to appropriate staff within Roads and Transportation and other Council Departments. The standard method of distributing the ‘Daily Decision’ will be via e-mail through the Met Desk message board facility as described in Section 4.2.
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Page | 20 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 The GPS system installed on vehicles will record the roads treated and the time of treatment. The Winter Service Duty Manager will prepare a daily report on the previous 24-hour road conditions and treatments for the Roads and Transportation Manager. The report will be required 09.45 hours daily Monday – Friday. The daily report will also report details of salt usage and gritting complaints. The Roads and Transportation Manager will report details of all additional plant and labour hired from other Departments or contractors as soon as practical. During prolonged spells of severe conditions special reporting arrangements may be required and this is dealt with in Section 10. 9. Information and Publicity 9.1 Local Press and Broadcast Information It is important that the general public is aware of and understands the Council’s approach to the Winter Service. Publicity is to be given before the beginning of the winter period describing the level of service provision and operations contact points. During the winter period and particularly during prolonged spells of snow and ice, information will be made available to the public via social media, press releases and local radio stations. 9.2 Publicity General advice and information for the public concerning the Winter Service will be catered for by: a) Including an article each winter in the Council’s local newspapers b) Publishing a Winter Advisory leaflet which will be available to the public at selected locations throughout West Dunbartonshire such as libraries etc. c) Publishing information on the Council’s website at www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk 9.3 Other Key Local and National Contact Information Reports from the Police of dangerous road conditions will be acted on as soon as practicable. The Roads and Transportation Manager will liaise with the Police when deteriorating winter weather conditions result in road closures.
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Page | 21 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 West Dunbartonshire Council’s Customer Contact Centre is responsible for dealing with the general public’s telephone enquiries about the Winter Service. 9.4 Records All records produced through the operation of the Winter Service will be retained by the Council for 3 years and thereafter retained in archives for a further 7 years. 10. Contingency Arrangements for Severe Events 10.1 Incident Management Under normal winter conditions maintaining safe use of the road network is relatively routine. However, during particularly severe snow or ice events that are of an unusually extended duration, special arrangements will be required to develop and manage the Council’s response. In this circumstance, with a background of finite resources in terms of budgets, staff, machinery and stock, it is appropriate and essential to take a prioritised approach to the winter service activities. At the same time, extended snow or ice events can cause particular problems for other Council Departments and the wider community. It is therefore appropriate that the Council tailor its approach to the circumstances at the time. While the majority of the Council’s Winter Service response can be adequately managed and mitigated by the Winter Service Duty Manager, it is the responsibility of the Roads and Transportation Manager, in consultation with the Chief Officer of Roads and Neighbourhood or their delegate, to decide when deteriorating conditions require the implementation of a more corporate and co-ordinated multi-departmental or multi-agency response to the event. 10.2 Incident Escalation – Major Incident Co-ordination The co-ordination of a major incident response is provided through the Council’s well established Corporate Management Team (CMT). The CMT consists of the Chief Executive and Chief Officers from each department, who will provide the tactical and strategic direction to the Council’s response and support the operational effort at ground level. The CMT is supported by the Civil Contingencies Service (CCS) and Communication Officers and may also involve attendance by liaison officers from the emergency services and other agencies.
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Page | 22 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 The activation of the CMT arrangements may be through the recommendation of the Chief Officer of Roads and Neighbourhood Services, based on current conditions or by the direction of the Chief Executive. Once a decision has been made to escalate the response, the CCS will alert and assemble the appropriate CMT members for an initial multi-departmental situation and assessment meeting. This key meeting will establish the current position and the effect on council services, public safety, etc and determine future action and priorities, including the establishment of the Council’s emergency response team. The emergency response team will • Take a prioritised approach to maintaining access by roads. • Assist, where possible, in ensuring that lifeline services are maintained by Council Departments, Police, Fire, Ambulance, Health Board and others. • Ensure that appropriate levels of materials and plant are available. • Mobilise and co-ordinate staff and resources from a range of Council service areas to support winter service operations. • Co-ordinate the response with neighbouring authorities and central government. • Provide clear communications on the situations to Councillors, the public and media organisations. 10.3 Roads When there are extreme conditions and salt supplies are limited, or other resources are restricted (such as fuel supplies or drivers) it may be necessary to treat a minimum winter network, and other gritting may have to be curtailed to ensure preservation of scarce resources. This may be a subset of the normal treatment network and will provide a minimum essential service to the public, including links to the strategic network, access to key facilities and other transport needs. 10.4 Footways / Footpaths The Roads and Transportation Service resources will be directed to the provision of our carriageway treatments. The service will make use of any available resources within our Greenspace team to undertake footway treatments when weather conditions dictate in line with details prescribed in Section 3.2 and only when resources are unable to undertake normal working activities.
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Page | 23 WINTER PLAN 2025-30 | Version 1 April 2025 10.5 Communications Communications are an essential element in dealing with any unusual circumstances and the Emergency Response Team will ensure that: • Early briefings take place for relevant Council managers, Councillors and the media. • The Council’s Customer Contact Centre is fully utilised with regular updates being provided to the staff. • Regular updates are provided on the situation through the media and the Council’s web pages. The Chief Officer of Roads and Neighbourhood Services will approve all media updates prior to release. 10.6 Operations Log It is essential that the Emergency Response Team maintains a log throughout the period of the severe snow or ice event. The log should include details and timings of all events and decisions. 10.7 End of Operations and Debrief When the Chief Officer determines that the severe snow or ice event is over, the ERT will inform all individuals and organisations that have been contacted during operations. All equipment must be returned to its original location. Where appropriate the necessary maintenance, repair and replenishment or stocks should be carried out as soon as practicable in readiness for the next snow or ice event. After an event of this nature, it is appropriate to debrief, assess the response and determine whether any possible improvements in the Council’s response can be identified.