CAMBRIDGESHIRE County Council has leased six new gritters as it continues preparations for winter.

The six vehicles, worth �100,000 each, will be ready to hit the road alongside 33 specialist gritters when temperatures are expected to fall below freezing.

Some 10,000 plus tonnes of salt which is stockpiled at depots around the county will be spread across Cambridgeshire’s roads by a team of 100 trained drivers.

Councillor Steve Criswell, Cambridgeshire’s Cabinet Member for Community Infrastructure, said: “We have done everything we can within the resources available to us to ensure we are as prepared as possible for the winter weather – whenever it arrives.

“We have top quality equipment, full stocks of salt and a highly trained and dedicated team of drivers and support staff who will do all they can to ensure that the community and business are kept on the move when bad weather hits.

“But I would remind all road users and pedestrians that they also have a responsibility to take care and to keep traffic moving by taking account of the conditions.”

Treatment runs cover a network of primary routes across Cambridgeshire with second routes covered when resources allow.

Salt bins, which are kept stocked by the county council, are also available to local parishes.