William Wall-ice heads home to Elderslie to prepare for winter weather battle

One of Renfrewshire’s specially-named gritters William Wall-ice headed home to Elderslie as the weather prepares to lay siege to Renfrewshire this winter.

Nine gritting machines will cover more than 800km of roads across Renfrewshire, with more than 4000 tonnes of grit ready to keep Renfrewshire moving throughout the winter period.

Residents will once again be able to track Renfrewshire’s gritters on the council website as they work day and night, when required, to keep the roads network free of snow and ice.

This forms part of the area’s #RenReady Ready for Winter campaign which aims to make residents and workers in Renfrewshire aware of how to prepare for winter weather conditions, while also highlighting the work of frontline council staff who keep services operating whatever the weather.

Last year, a campaign to #NameOurGritters saw more than 8000 votes cast online to name Renfrewshire’s gritters after famous faces and places, with Ploughlo Grittini, Tony Gritzpatrick and Paisleigh being three of the winning entries.

STV Weatherman Sean Batty was also chosen by the local community to have his own gritter and he’s looking forward to seeing Thawin’ Batty tackle the forthcoming conditions, should he be needed.

Sean said: “People may have read articles recently warning of a cold and snowy winter, however at this stage this is merely speculation as forecasting specific details this far in advance is impossible. At present Met Office computer models are forecasting a milder start to winter than usual, however even if this is the case it would likely still be interspersed by colder spells, with frost and snow.

“Last year most parts of the country experienced very little snowfall, however in the previous year there were many days with snow and ice well into spring. Even with current forecasts indicating milder than average conditions, people should always be prepared for the risk of floods, storms and snowfall as we head into the winter months.”

#RenReady also aims to provide information on areas such as how to avoid winter illness and the support the council provides to tenants and residents to keep warm throughout any cold weather snaps and festive debt advice.

Councillor Cathy McEwan, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, said: “The winter period can bring a number of challenges for our communities and our staff, but we are doing all we can to prepare in advance of any adverse conditions.

“Our gritting teams are now on standby to treat the roads in advance, and during, any freezing weather, and 540 grit bins will be stocked and available for residents to use throughout the winter period.

“Our website also has detailed information on how to prepare yourself, your home and your community throughout the winter, and our social media channels will provide updates too.

“I also want to thank our staff who do a fantastic job keeping our services operating whatever the weather and we’ll do all we can to support them as this winter approaches.”

For more information, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/readyforwinter.