When temperatures plummet, Buckinghamshire Council’s trusty fleet of gritters rolls into action, salting key roads across the county, to make them safer for motorists. But did you know that the council also provides salt bins for people to freely use to make their roads and pavements safer during cold and icy weather?

The bins are filled with salt and are available at multiple locations across the county for drivers and pedestrians to treat public roads and pavements in their local area. The bins are filled and topped up during the winter season with a mixture of salt and sand. They are located in targeted areas known to be affected by icy conditions which the gritting routes don’t cover.

Salt bins are provided for residents to use on public roads and footways only, and should not be used to clear private drives.

Steven Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport explained: “Our gritters treat miles and miles of priority routes across the county, including all A and B roads but clearly, we cannot treat every road. These salt bins provide a handy way for residents to self-serve and make their local area safer if the weather conditions cause concern and so are hugely valued by many communities.”

Residents can request a salt bin for their local area and all requests will be considered. If the request is granted, the council will pay for the installation of a salt bin and will refill as needed throughout the winter while stocks allow. Where a request is not granted, communities have the option to pay for a bin to be installed and for the ongoing delivery of salt stocks.

Visit the council's website to request a salt bin.

Steven added: “We grit our priority routes when road surface temperatures – which can be up to 5 degrees cooler than the air temperature - are predicted to drop below 0.5 degrees Celsius. Remember to still take extra care when driving as roads may still be icy; temperatures can drop after rain or the salt that has been spread can be blown away by wind or washed off by rain. Bear in mind too, that if temperatures drop below -8 C even gritted roads won’t be able to stop ice from forming.”

To check which routes are gritted, visit the council’s website at www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/gritting. And for updates when gritting is taking place, follow @buckshighways on Facebook or @bucks_highways on X.