Keeping Fife moving during winter

EACH year the council reassures residents across Fife they are ready for winter, and this year is no different. October has already seen colder temperatures creeping in and some particularly wet and windy days, so it’s really important to be prepared and ready for more severe winter weather when it comes.

Services have been busy planning ahead for winter and the council is committed to keeping the Kingdom moving despite the weather. The lower temperatures saw our gritters operating for the first time on 11th November to spread the first load of grit this winter on all primary routes across Fife.

Fife Council's Roads and Transportation spokesperson Councillor Altany Craik explained: “The council has been planning ahead for winter since the summer months to ensure that everything is in place and our gritting teams are ready to keep Fife moving through the winter months.

“The council’s winter fleet includes 27 vehicles ready to treat Fife’s roads and a further 51 vehicles which can be used during severe conditions, including 30 small footpath tractors capable of clearing and salting footpaths.

“This year we have taken a delivery of 5,000 tonnes of salt, bringing our current stock level to 23,000 tonnes and we will add a further 3,000 tonnes during the winter period.

“We can deploy additional personnel from other parts of the council to work on the road network when weather is extremely bad and we also have arrangements for external resources, plant and equipment. By taking these steps, we aim to keep Fife’s roads safe during the winter.

“As always during severe weather, key staff will be working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep our road network open. Of course, it’s also important for Fifers to make sure they know where to find the information they need ahead of any severe weather.”

Before any severe weather hits, make sure you do these three things to get the important information you’ll need: Go online to www.fife.gov.uk/winter - There’s a range of information on how to prepare whether at home, in the car and in your community.

Follow Fife Council on Facebook, X, Instagram and WhatsApp; when severe weather hits all winter updates will appear as they happen.

Tune in to your local radio stations: Kingdom FM (95.2 & 96.1), Forth One (97.3) and Tay FM (96.4 &102.8) will have all the latest updates. Individual school closures are broadcast when the decision is made not to open. The head teacher will make the final decision whether or not to open the school during severe weather. This decision will be made with as much notice as possible.

If you need emergency help during severe weather, speak to an advisor by calling us on 03451 550011 from Mon-Fri, 8am 'til 6pm (Option 3 for Transportation/Road Faults) or 03451 550099 between 6pm-8am on weekdays, at weekends & on public holidays . For all information on how to stay safe during winter in Fife go to www.fife.gov.uk/winter

Picture Caption: Centre, Cllr Altany Craik, Fife Council Roads and Transportation Spokesperson with left, John Mitchell, Head of Roads and Transportation Services and right, Bill Liddle, Service Manager, Roads Maintenance.