Salt bins are provided along highways for communities to use to grit their roads and pathways. Salt bins that are our responsibility were filled as part of our pre-season preparations.

 

If a salt bin is empty, please email contact@essex.gov.uk or call: 0845 603 7631.

 

Salt bins will not be restocked on an individual basis, and will only be restocked if resources allow. 

To learn about the Salt Bag Partnership Scheme, please visit our Clearing snow page. 

The county has a stock of 15,000t of salt in preparation for winter, with a delivery of 6,000t due around the end of December/early in the new year. Each typical gritting run uses approximately 200t of salt.

 

We monitor salt stock levels and communicate with contractors and national suppliers to ensure the distribution of salt supplies is effective. In the unlikely event adverse weather stops our suppliers getting through, we have a plan detailing a reduction in gritted routes in place to deal with the effects of salt supplies running low . 

Water freezes when it reaches 0C. Salt mixed with water or moisture lowers this freezing point. The colder the temperature and the more water present, the more salt is required to lower the freezing point. The effectiveness of salt begins to lessen at about -3/4C, and by -6C the quantity of salt required to remove snow or ice becomes ineffective. 

 

A small handful of salt (approximately 20g) can treat approximately 1m/3ft squared of cleared surface. If snow and ice have already formed on the roads and pavements, then adding salt will not help because there is no direct moisture for the salt to dissolve into. Snow and ice must be manually removed first. 

Pre-salting areas before snow falls will not stop the snow from settling, but it will create a layer of moisture that will freeze at a lower temperature than the snow settling above it. This layer will reduce the risk of the snow bonding with the pavement, making it easier to remove.

If snow has compacted and bonded to the pavement and cannot be removed by hand, do not use salt on top of it. Instead, spread cat litter, cinders or coarse graded/sharp sand (not building sand) or something similar over the area. This will become embedded in the ice and will make it safer to walk on.