Highways Adverse Weather & Winter Service Plan

Service response

The Winter Service is dependent on the efficient and effective spreading of salt from purpose-built vehicles. The use of salt or grit or mixtures of both minimises the effects of ice and packed snow.

From the 1st October to the 30th April each year, the County Council subscribes to a specialist roads weather forecasting service. This service is generally procured via an all-Wales framework contract and provides a common weather forecast service across neighbouring regional authorities including Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Powys, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. The service takes the form of a rolling 36-hour forecast normally transmitted daily at 12 noon, supplemented by morning and evening updates and a rolling longer range 2-10 day forecast which is updated daily. The service also provides out of office hours forecaster consultancy facilities.

Forecasts are provided on an individual route by route basis allowing Duty Officers to access up to date route-based forecasts and detailed weather information via a web-based management system.

During evenings and weekends the Duty Officer will be alerted directly by the forecaster when required to advise of any forecast changes or severe conditions. The Duty Officer can contact the forecaster at any time to discuss weather conditions in addition to the information available via the web-based management system.

Three distinct periods for winter service are typically identified and are as follows: -

A stand-by Duty Officer will be on duty each day throughout the ‘High period’ (Mid-October to end of March) and is responsible for deciding on the daily winter service action appropriate to the forecast received and prevailing conditions on the County Roads. Outside of office hours the Duty Officer may be contacted on a dedicated emergency line by means of an automatic call forwarding system.

Duty Officers are required to review the weather forecasts received and determine the appropriate action to be taken with reference to the prevailing weather and road conditions. The treatment decisions are cross-referenced as updated forecasts are received. The required treatment on a particular route is selected in accordance with the forecasters predicted road hazards and in line with spread rate guidance published by the National Winter Service Research Group (NWSRG).

Duty officers will also be informed in their operational management and decision making by data provided by the weather stations located within the County and may take account of existing salt levels on the road surface (following periods of repeat gritting). The information from the weather stations is interrogated by the Duty Officer via a hosted web bureau service. The weather stations also include cameras to provide live images of actual road and weather conditions.

The Duty Officer will be mindful of the duty to manage risk whilst also making best use of resources. Duty Officers will also be aware that the over-use of salt may have a detrimental impact on the environment.

The County Council works closely with the South Wales Trunk Road Agency and the Western Area Partnership (WAP) to treat the Trunk Roads within Carmarthenshire. Forecasting and decision making for winter treatment of Trunk Roads is undertaken by SWTRA with the Highways and Transportation team then undertaking treatment of the Trunk Road Network within specified timeframes. This is undertaken with a combination of Welsh Government and County Council gritting vehicles operating from depots at Carmarthen, Cross Hands, Pont Abraham and Llandovery and Pembrokeshire County Council Gritters as part of the WAP.