True grit saves roads from morning chaos

IT’S AN ILL WIND . . . Fitton Hill’s St Martin’s Cof E Primary School pupils (pictured from left) Matthew and Jake Hadfield and Rohan Bootham were all smiles despite the freezing temperatures Picture: ANTHONY MILLER

A CONVOY of gritters working overnight in sub-zero temperatures kept Oldham’s major roads free from treacherous black ice.

The eight-strong team began gritting operations late yesterday and moved on to key roads across the borough to ensure a smooth flow for traffic and schools, some returning for the first day after the Christmas break.

Backed by a salt mountain, the fleet targeted notorious blackspot areas including the A62 Oldham to Huddersfield road and other cross-Pennine routes.

And, despite temperatures plunging to minus-4.4°C (24°F), highways supremo Tony Noblet said: “The operation has gone very well.

“We did a pre-gritting operation last night, followed up by lorries working in key areas where there could have been trouble.

“This morning we backed that up with another general sweep on roads across the borough.

“We have used hundreds of tons of salt on the roads but our teams have a salt mountain of 1,500 tonnes to draw on.”

Oldham Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for roads, Councillor Mark Alcock, said: “We have been concentrating on major and secondary roads across the borough.

“However, if people find side roads icy or hazardous they should contact us immediately.”

GMP Sergeant Craig Johnson, based at Uppermill, said although temperatures in Saddleworth plunged to seven below zero, roads remained open with a huge build-up of traffic coming through Denshaw because of a major incident on the M62.

“But everything is quiet and moving normally,” he added.

Although roads remained clear, pavements were coated with ice hidden under a dusting of snow. Police warned pedestrians to take care.

Experts predict temperatures will fall further to -8°C or -9°C tonight as an unusually large high pressure system continues to dominate the weather patterns. And they predict more freezing weather is on the way, but things should warm up by the weekend.

They warn cold weather was more likely to bring frost and black ice than snow, in what is seen as the longest widespread cold snap the UK has seen in 13 years.