Gritters now on standby across Hertfordshire.

With temperatures dropping significantly over the last 24 hours after the balmy autumn sunshine, Herts County Council's fleet of 58 gritters are now on standby, ready to spring into action and salt the county's roads when freezing weather approaches.

Gritter crews and decision makers from the council's highways team are ready around the clock to cover nearly half of Hertfordshire's entire road network – more than 1,500 miles (2,500km).

Herts CC send out gritters when road surface temperatures are forecast to be 0.5°c, or below.

The council said: "We will, where practical and accessible, grit roads to schools, care homes, doctor's surgeries, key pharmacies and libraries, as well as all the county's A and B roads, bus routes (including school bus routes), roads with a 10% gradient or steeper and at least one route into every village. You can do your bit by parking sensibly and not blocking roads."

The council supplies salt to schools if they request it, to help them stay open during icy weather.

Herts CC will also supply district, borough, parish and town councils on request, so they can use their local knowledge to identify exactly where best to use the salt during severe weather - also providing hand spreaders to schools to help them make best use of the salt we are providing.

Community groups and residents associations can also access free gritting salt - and so far this year more than 300 local groups have placed orders with us.

Councillor Phil Bibby, executive member for highways and transport at the council, said: "October is the beginning of our winter season, and we make sure our gritters are ready, our salt stocks in the depots are high and that the county's 1,000-plus salt bins are topped up before freezing weather arrives.

"Our crews will be on standby 24 hours a day until the end of April, ready to deal with whatever the weather throws at us.

 "We don't know how much, if any, snow and ice we'll see this winter, but I am confident that our highways teams are ready, and we will do everything we can to keep the county's roads open and safe, whatever the weather."

Application forms can be found at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/applyforsalt and must be received by the county council by Tuesday 31 October.