Winter is 'officially' over as Northamptonshire's gritters put away their snow ploughs til October

Highways team ready for summer after six months standing by to keep the county's roads safe
Northants Highways gritting team all together .. before the Covid-19 crisis!Northants Highways gritting team all together .. before the Covid-19 crisis!
Northants Highways gritting team all together .. before the Covid-19 crisis!

Don't try to tell Northamptonshire's team of gritters it's been a mild winter.

They are finally ready for the start of 'summer' after six months on stand-by for weather forecasts warning of snow, ice and frost.

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And despite temperatures not touching freezing too often, they were still out on the roads 57 times.

The fleet of 22 gritting lorries averages 75 nights out each winter, treating surfaces to keep them safe.

Communications manager Rebecca Miller said: "It's certainly not been an easy year and they were out a lot.

"The team is made up of a variety of people who work in all areas of the organisation. But we think they are fantastic and thank them for their dedication in all weather."

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Weather watchers say spring starts on March 1, astronomers reckon it's March 21. But for this crew, April 15 marks the end of a shift that started on October 15 last year.

Northamptonshire County Council is responsible for maintaining nearly 2,700 miles of tarmac.

Highways England looks after motorways and trunk roads in the county: the M1, M45 and A14 plus chunks of the A45, A5 and A43.