Gritting team on standby to keep Barnsley’s roads safe this winter

Our Gritting Team are ready and prepped to keep Barnsley’s 321 miles of primary gritting routes moving this winter. Our teams will be on standby around the clock until the end of April, ready to head out and grit main routes day or night.

Last year, we used 6,265 tonnes of grit salt, deployed our gritters to grit our routes 924 times, and travelled 35,307 miles across Barnsley.

Between October 2024 and April 2025, we experienced a number of extreme weather conditions, with significant snowfall and unprecedented icy conditions in January.

Our salt domes have been restocked, our fleet of gritters are ready, and we’re prepared once again for whatever weather the colder months might bring.

We’ll be monitoring our weather stations around the borough, which along with specialised daily forecasts let us know when we need to head out and grit the roads. We also monitor air and road temperatures, rainfall, road moisture, cloud cover, wind direction, and residual salt.

Hagrit, Snowbody's Perfect and Licence to Chill will be out alongside Swowbi-Wan Kenobi, Sir Steve Ploughton, and Buzz Ice Clear when the weather takes a turn for the worse. If you see our gritters out and about, don’t forget to give them a wave.

Follow @BarnsleyCouncil or search #SYgrit on Facebook for local gritting updates, winter road safety tips, and more throughout the winter.

Cllr James Higginbottom, Cabinet Spokesperson for Environment and Highways, said: “Winter is coming, and our gritting crews are on standby ready to keep our borough’s roads clear from snow and ice.

“Last year our teams did a sterling job of keeping our roads safe in some of the most challenging circumstances we have faced in many years. They are ready once again to face whatever this winter throws at us.

“Please remember that grit bins are provided at many locations to help keep the road clear. This grit isn’t for use on private property or footways, but you can use it to help grit the roads and keep traffic moving.     

“If you’re travelling in colder weather, don’t forget to check that your vehicle is winter-ready, and leave plenty of time for your journey.”  

For more information on gritting routes and grit bin locations, visit barnsley.gov.uk/gritting.