Road gritters will be out in Devon tonight (Monday, November 22) as the temperature is forecast to drop to -2C.

The county council says it is prepared and ready to cope with the challenges of winter, and that road gritters will be out for the first time this winter on all of the county’s primary salting routes from 6pm.

Six gritters have been replaced with newer models to continue the ongoing upgrade of the authority’s winter fleet of 37 frontline gritters. Three gritter drivers per route will be on standby throughout the winter.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, the cabinet member for highways management, said: “With an 8,000 mile highway network, we have more roads to look after than any authority in the country, so it’s impossible for us to salt every mile.

"Our teams are standing by to treat around 2,000 miles of Devon’s main roads on our primary and secondary salting network when it’s needed. And we saw last winter the vital support role that our volunteer snow wardens play in their local communities.”

More information is available on the Devon County Council website and for updates on Twitter follow @DevonAlert