Rutland County Council needs you... to become a volunteer snow warden

Rutland County Council is looking for people to step forward and help their local community this winter by becoming volunteer snow wardens.

When winter weather brings snow and ice, the council has to focus the majority of its gritting activity on routes which carry the most traffic, such as main A and B roads and access roads into villages.

Rutland’s Community Snow Warden Scheme is set up to provide advice and training to community groups and Parish Councils, particularly in the most rural parts of the county, who can then help to clear snow and ice on a voluntary basis.

As well as training, the council also provides snow wardens with equipment such as snow shovels and high visibility clothing to help the clear snow and spread the salt safely.

Coun Lucy Stephenson, portfolio holder for Highways and Transport said: “Volunteer snow wardens are an important part of Rutland's winter preparations and do an incredible job to help to keep their local communities free from snow and ice.

"During periods of severe winter weather, we have to focus our efforts on gritting and clearing the main routes around Rutland because of the sheer number of people who travel on them and the safety risk that poses.

"The snow wardens help to make sure that smaller communities also get the help they need in winter.

"We offer training, support and equipment to anyone put forward by their Parish or Town Council to be snow warden, we just need more volunteers with local knowledge to come forward and help."

Find out more here.

Meanwhile, the council said its Highways Team was gearing up for winter and advising residents to do the same as the weather turns colder.

A spokesman said: "Our fleet of gritters and ploughs have been fully serviced and salt supplies replenished.

"The council’s main depot at Ashwell currently holds 4,000 tonnes of salt which will be used to treat freezing roads in the weeks and months ahead.

"The council is monitoring weather forecasts closely for advanced warning of freezing temperatures, with gritters now on standby to treat priority routes such as major A and B roads and access routes into villages.

"As well as gritting the roads, we also treats the main footways in town centres, car parks and routes to GP surgeries and schools when snow is forecast."

There are around 240 community salt bins in towns and villages across Rutland – all of which have been refilled ahead of winter.

"We rely on Parish Councils to let us know when salt bins are running low, so that they can be refilled. However, salt in these bins is for public highways only and not for driveways or private accesses," said the spokesman.