How to check if your road is gritted

Storm Goretti is expected to cause widespread disruption as it hits the UK, with warnings of high winds as well as heavy snow and rain.

A number of weather warnings have been issued up and down the country, including a rare red warning for Thursday (8 January) which covers Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, with the Met Office warning strong winds could be life-threatening.

Cooler temperatures and blustery weather are expected to linger through the weekend, leaving many people wondering if it’s safe to travel.

Councils have been grappling their roads to combat icy conditions, but UK local authorities prioritize major roads, leaving most residential roads vulnerable to slippery conditions.

This may be all well and good if the main road below your property is clear, but if you can’t get your car the required quarter mile down your road, you may not think the gritters are of much use.

Here, Yahoo News looks at how councils decide which roads to grit and if you can check where grit is and isn’t.

How to check if your road is gritted

The answer depends a lot on where you live in the country.

The UK government maintains a website that lets you check if your postcode is gritted.

However, after entering a postcode, the government’s website takes you to your local authority’s website – and different councils provide varying amounts of information about what’s being gritted.

For example, if you enter a postcode that falls under Derby City Council’s jurisdiction, you’ll be presented with their gritting website, and you can click through to find out a detailed map of where their gritting lorries will go.

Other councils such as Sheffield, Dorset, Essex and Lincolnshire provide similar information and maps.

But local authorities such as Kirklees and Calderdale do not provide this level of information.

If your local authority does not provide detailed information on its website, this does not mean it is not available elsewhere.

You can always check the social media pages of your council or local councilors to see if they have provided any information.

Are the low roads unpaved?

Cash-strapped councils are looking to make savings wherever they can, but cuts to gritting routes are often hotly contested by constituents.

Unison trade union called for cuts to grating services in October, when they called for more funding to plug black holes in council finances.

Under the Highways Act local authorities have a legal duty “so far as is practicable” to “ensure that highways are not endangered by snow or ice”.

The Traffic Management Act also “requires the authorities to do everything practicable to manage the network effectively for the movement of traffic”.

This includes developing plans for unplanned events such as “unforeseen weather conditions”.

How councils interpret their mandate to ensure roads are clear as far as “practicable” is up to them.

There are over 225,000 miles worth of roads in the UK, and it would cost hundreds of millions a year to grit each one in winter.

Most councils have settled on making sure their main roads are clear, with some designated secondary roads cleared if they can.

Gritting lorries are large and spread their grit widely, meaning they can be impractical on the very thin, windy roads that litter the UK.

Some councils provide grit bins that they refill on residential streets so that local people can grit the streets when needed.

Although councils have a duty to ensure their roads are paved, many residents complain they are not doing enough.

In 2024, Calderdale Council was forced to back down when it proposed cuts to its winter grating plans.

They said their plan would save £300,000 a year, but residents and businesses claimed it would cut them off.

Dudley Council is under pressure to reverse plans to cut half of its grit bins and extend the time between refills after Storm Goretti created icy conditions for many.

Safecoat, a business helping councils cope with winter, said it had helped South Lanarkshire and Carmarthenshire reduce its routes from 23 to 20, saving £250,000.

However, other councils have rejected criticism from their residents about their gritting operations.

Liverpool City Council shared a detailed message on X about their gritting operation after residents complained that not enough roads were gritted.

Other councils have also made significant efforts in recent years to promote their multi-million-pound investment in plans to deal with snow and ice weather.