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Clearing Roads of Snow & Ice

The following information was produced by Portsmouth Engineering & Design Services. For more information, contact them by phone on 023 9283 4092 or by email at engineers@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

This page outlines the road salting and snow clearing services provided by Portsmouth City Council, during the winter, and advises you on how to make your car journeys safer.

Our mild coastal climate means that Portsmouth normally escapes severe snow falls, so ice is usually the major winter problem for drivers.

When do we salt roads?

Portsmouth City Council uses the latest technology to monitor and predict the weather. We use forecasts from two Meteorological Offices alongside information from roadside sensors to help us decide when roads should be treated.

Which roads do we salt?

If icy weather is forecast, 96 miles of our roads are salted as our Priority One Routes. These include main roads, roads leading to major educational and industrial sites, hospitals and other emergency centres. We usually start salting these roads just before the time that ice is expected to form or snow to fall, for maximum effectiveness. Normally all Priority One Routes can be salted within three hours.

When it is very icy or snowy, or when ice and snow are forecast to lie on our roads and pavements we also salt busy pedestrian areas and our Priority Two Routes.

Winter driving tips

don't assume the road is free from frost and ice even if it looks clear.
leave a good stopping distance between you and the car in front.
if you find yourself behind a salting vehicle please be patient and keep well back, to stop your car being gritted.
drive according to the conditions - reduce your speed and avoid fast acceleration, sudden breaking or harsh steering.
allow extra time for your journey.
if conditions are really bad stay at home or use public transport.
when it is very cold please don't wash your car on the street. The water will freeze on the road and pavement and create an icy hazard for other road users.

If you are travelling a long way

check road conditions on CEEFAX or with a motoring organisation before you go.
take warm clothing, strong footwear, a blanket, a flask of hot drink, food and a shovel in case you get stopped by the weather.
If you have a mobile phone make sure it is charged up and take it with you.
If you are forced to abandon your vehicle, leave it where snow ploughs can get past. Put a note on your dashboard with your name and phone number so you can be told when the road is clear and you can collect your car.

Is salt the solution?

We use rock salt, which while appearing gritty is not grit as it is often called. It works by being crushed into the road by traffic and dissolves in any moisture on the road surface to lower the freezing point. It will not tackle ice and snow effectively unless it is worked into the road by traffic.

Research has shown that using a lot of salt to de-ice roads can cause environmental damage. We therefore aim to treat our roads with as little salt as possible, only as often as is necessary. Other treatments are more expensive and can also cause environmental damage so salt remains the best material to use.

While we do everything possible to keep the roads ice free, it is important that you remember that even if it doesn't feel cold, fresh ice could be forming on the road. During the winter months road surfaces are often colder than the air.

Salting in rain can be difficult as rain washes salt off the road. On some occasions salting will be delayed until heavy rain has stopped. Because of this some roads may be icy after rain, until salting is complete.

Severe Winter Weather

Extreme cold: The effectiveness of salt is reduced at temperatures below minus five degrees C. Below minus 10 degrees it doesn't work.

Snow: Up to 25mm of snow can usually be treated by salting and the action of traffic. Heaver snow falls and snow falls during periods of light traffic may need to be cleared by snow plough. All our salting vehicles can carry ploughs and roads will be cleared according to their priority.

Freezing rain: This is when rain turns to ice as soon as it hits the ground, to form a sheet of ice. This is a rare and dangerous condition which is difficult to predict and is often extremely localised. Even continuous salting may not prevent ice forming, extreme care must be taken whilst driving in these conditions.