Scotland announces preparation for severe winter conditions

Date: 28/10/2011

The Scottish transport minister, Keith Brown, has announced there will be extra gritters and road salt, to help deal with extreme winter conditions similar to those seen last year.?

?Last year Scottish roads were particularly difficult to navigate and the Army was called in to dig out parts of the capital, Edinburgh. So for 2011, Mr Brown has announced that Transport Scotland is prepared for many weather eventualities.?

?He revealed that 23 additional gritters will patrol from November 1st, focusing on the most important routes and during morning rush-hour where there is risk of snow and ice. It is thought this will help ploughing capabilities during snowstorms, the BBC reported.?

?In addition, Scotland will store more salt by November 1st than was used throughout the whole of last winter.?

?Jackson Carlaw, a Conservative transport spokesman, welcomed the new measures saying: “If we do find ourselves faced with severe weather, the public have access to information which carries an authority ... so that they know if they are being told not to travel, it means precisely that.”