As North Yorkshire prepares for another night of freezing conditions, residents can sit in the warmth of their own homes and follow live progress from the county's fleet of gritters.
Residents across the Yorkshire Coast and inland moors are being urged to take extra care tonight as road surface temperatures are forecast to drop below zero, bringing a widespread risk of ice to the region. In response, North Yorkshire Council has confirmed that gritting crews are treating priority roads in all areas, including coastal towns such as Scarborough and Whitby, as well as Pickering.
The council’s gritting teams remain on call 24 hours a day throughout the winter season, monitoring conditions using ice prediction weather stations and road temperature sensors. However, officials are reminding the public that a gritted road does not automatically mean an ice-free one. According to the council, "grit doesn’t work instantly, and it won’t melt ice or snow as soon as it’s spread". The process requires vehicles to drive over the salt to crush and activate it; until sufficient traffic has passed, surfaces may remain hazardous.
To provide greater transparency for those must travel, an interactive gritter tracker is available on the North Yorkshire Council website. This digital tool allows residents to:
- Enter a postcode or town name to view local gritting activity.
- Identify which roads have been treated within the last 10 hours.
- Distinguish between Primary (Priority 1) and Secondary (Priority 2) routes.
The council explains that the map only displays information when it is cold enough for treatment to take place. If a gritter is not visible on the map, it is not currently active. While the council aims for accuracy, they note that the tracker relies on GPS and mobile signals, and "does not give any indication or guarantee of the current condition of the road network".
CLICK THE MAP TO SEE THE LIVE DATA
The council's winter maintenance programme is a significant operation. With an annual budget of £8.3 million, the authority manages one of the largest road networks in England, covering 4,400km. This effort involves 70 gritters and over 100 farming contractors. Typically, Priority 1 roads are completed between 5am and 7am, while Priority 2 routes are addressed once the main arteries are clear, usually by 10am.
Motorists are also reminded that certain major routes, such as the A64, are the responsibility of National Highways rather than the local council and may not appear on the tracker.
Beyond the roads, the council has stated that busy shopping areas and main pedestrian footpaths will be treated before 9am during periods of severe weather. However, they clarify that footpaths are not usually treated following "normal overnight frosty conditions".
As the mercury drops tonight, the advice from the authorities remains cautious. Drivers are encouraged to "always drive in accordance with the prevailing road and weather conditions" and to avoid unnecessary travel where possible, as conditions can deteriorate rapidly even on treated routes.
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