Road salting

When icy conditions are forecast we will salt the main routes, called our primary salting routes, to prevent frost and ice forming on the road surfaces.

If you would like to know if your road is included in our salting routes, view our interactive map of salting routes. The map shows the primary salting routes of the county. In addition to this, we may also salt other routes that may not appear on the map.  

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.

In addition, if more severe ice is expected or snow has fallen, we will put salt on other roads. We use knowledge of the local area to decide which roads these are.

We review the salting routes every summer along with our winter policy 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.

We keep local radio stations and TV networks informed about road conditions and when we are planning to salt on the main roads. Travel information can be found at:

• Kent Traffic and Travel
• BBC Radio Kent (West/Mid Kent - 96.7 FM, East Kent - 104.2 FM)
• Heart FM (103.1 FM and 102.8 FM)
• KMFM (Ashford 107.6 FM, Canterbury 106 FM, Dover and Folkestone 96.4-106.8 FM, Maidstone 105.6 FM, Thanet 107.2 FM, West Kent 96.2-101.6 FM).

Salt supplies

We use crushed rock salt to treat ice and snow on the roads and have supplies stored in seven depots throughout Kent.

Our salting vehicles are weighed before and after they go out, so we know how much salt has been used and can manage our salt stocks. We use a constant replenishment system - as salt is used, it is then re-ordered to maintain a good working level throughout the winter.

Who salts the roads and how long it takes

We use 54 winter service vehicles to treat the primary salting routes and have more on standby. If there is an emergency, we aim to have these vehicles on the road within 1 hour. It takes about 2 hours to put salt on all of the primary salting routes.

Except in special cases, we do not treat minor roads and lanes.

When do we salt the roads?

Our weather forecast provider sends us daily forecasts about the weather in Kent, which tell us if road surfaces are likely to fall below freezing during the next 24 hours.

However, even on a cold day, the roads may have retained enough heat to prevent them from needing to be salted. The road forecast gives us precise details about which routes need to be salted and how much salt to put down. We aim to lay the salt at the point just before the road freezes to get its full benefit.

Occasionally, when the roads are very wet, the salt does not stop ice forming. In these circumstances, we will put down more salt, more often. If snow is expected, our winter service vehicles can put down double the normal amount of salt.

Footpaths

We do not generally treat pavements and footpaths as a preventative measure. You may sometimes see salt on a pavement if it is alongside a road on a salting route where some of the spray from the lorry has reached the pavement.

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.

Salt bins at the side of the road

The salt bins are there to help all road users, including pedestrians. You may use the salt to treat ice and snow on small areas of the road or pathways.

It is not for use on private drives or paths.

If you need to buy salt to treat ice on your driveway or business premises, you can buy it from builders' merchants and DIY stores.

If a salt bin is empty or has been damaged, please tell us about it using our online fault reporting form or call us on 08458 247 800.

Important: If the issue is a hazard to public safety or anything else urgent, then call us immediately on 08458 247 800. Do not use the online reporting form.

If you would like to know more about our winter policy, please look at our Winter Service Policy document (PDF, 150k).