Are crews gritting Northamptonshire roads as normal?

The crews are out on what's called the precautionary network, which can be viewed online here.

There were fears the Section 114 notice preventing Northamptonshire County Council expenditure might affect the service, however, the contracts are already in place.

A council spokesman said: "The severe weather desk which was mobilised on Monday, February 26 at 4pm continues to operate today.

"The precautionary road network was gritted and snow-ploughed from 7pm on Thursday and received a further treatment and snow-ploughing from 2am today.

"Gritting and snow ploughing on both the precautionary and adverse networks took place from 9.30am today and farmers continue to assist with snow-ploughing.

"Gritting crews have embarked on a further treatment of the precautionary network from 2pm.

"The severe weather operation is expected to continue until Sunday, March 4 although it will be reviewed daily following the weather forecast at lunchtime (midday) and the evening update at 6pm."

As things stand, changes to winter gritting will effectively begin at the end of 2018 (they will technically take effect from April but are unlikely to be noticed until later in the year).

The council's highways team will reduce salt stock levels and the quantity of salt spread in each treatment. Also, there will be a reduction in gritting routes - currently 43 per cent of the network is gritted and this would reduce to around 32 per cent.

A review of the policy timescales taken to complete the gritting of the network will likely result in an increase from the current three-hour time limit.