Road salting

Who salts the roads and how long it takes

When icy conditions are forecast we will salt the main routes, called our primary salting routes.

• We use 60 winter service vehicles and have more on standby.
• If there is an emergency, we aim to have these vehicles on the road within one hour.
• Except in special cases, we do not treat minor roads and lanes.

Roads which are salted

Our primary salting routes cover about 30% of roads in Kent, these include:

• all A and B class roads
• busy commuter routes
• other danger spots
• if more severe ice is expected or snow has fallen, we will put salt on other roads.

Additionally another 15% (1349 km) of the total road network which comprise other important routes (secondary routes) will be treated when we are expecting heavy frost, widespread ice, or snow. 

Please note: These roads will be treated after the primary routes.  

We review the salting routes every summer along with our Winter Service Policy document (PDF, 150k) and plan.

Unfortunately if your road has not been included on a salting route, it will not be considered again until the review next year.

We are not responsible for schools, offices or car parks. It is up to the people who look after these sites to treat them. The Highways Agency are responsible for motorways and trunk roads, and Medway Council look after roads in the Medway area.

Footpaths

If there is prolonged ice or snow, we will treat footpaths and pavements in priority order starting with heavy use areas around:

• shopping centres
• schools
• railway stations
• bus stops
• medical centres and doctors' surgeries
• residential homes
• industrial and commercial centres
• steep gradients.

If there is a salt bin, you can use the salt in this on icy pavements and footpaths.