SUMMER might only just be over but already gritting lorries and snowploughs are out and about on roads in Essex preparing for winter.

Essex County Council has fully stocked up on salt in all its depots, drawn up rotas for drivers and serviced all its gritters, with further “dry runs” on key routes planned for later this month.

County-owned local salt bins have also been topped up.

Councillor Eddie Johnson, in charge of highways maintenance, said: “The end of summer is a busy time planning for winter.

“Our gritter drivers will be out on the county’s main roads to make sure they know the routes and are aware of any potential problems.”

The council currently has approximately 15,500 tonnes of salt in stock and would expect to use about 18,000 to 20,000 tonnes in an average year.

Winter officially begins for highways maintenance engineers on Monday, October 26, starting with a “low-risk” period before moving up a gear into “high-risk" season in December.

The fleet of more than 60 vehicles covers about 2,000 miles of Essex highways including all major traffic routes.

It uses around 200 tonnes of salt on each run.