Motorists have taken to social media to complain roads across Cheshire East haven't been gritted in the snowy and icy conditions, with the council issuing a detailed response.

On Monday 5 January, residents woke up to abnormally freezing conditions with local roads heavily impacted, leading to claims some major roads had not been gritted.

One Nub News reader said: "It took me one hour and 20 minutes to get to work this morning. Not one road between Crewe and Chester had been gritted."

One reader said: 'No gritting anywhere, the roads are in a right mess."

Cheshire East told Nub News all of its gritting routes were treated at 2pm on Sunday 4 January and again at midnight on Monday 5 January (Photo: CEC).

Another defended Cheshire East, saying: "Easy to blame the council if you don't understand how gritting works. You spread grit, cars crush it. It works but if you compact four inches of snow it becomes ineffective."

Cheshire East told Nub News all of its gritting routes were treated at 2pm on Sunday 4 January and again at midnight on Monday 5 January.

The council said extremely low road surface temperatures experienced overnight reduces the effectiveness of salt.

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice is in place, issued by the Met Office, until noon on Monday 5 January.

Cheshire East Council said: "All our gritting routes were treated on Sunday 4 January at 2pm and again at midnight and our gritters are currently out carrying out additional gritting on main routes to help keep the network moving.

"The temperatures across some parts of the borough last night were so low though, it has impacted the effectiveness of the salt we grit with - salt becomes less effective from minus 5 degrees and stops working once temperatures reach minus 10 degrees.

Cheshire East say temperatures across some parts of the borough were so low it has impacted the effectiveness of the salt it grits with (Photo: Nub News).

"Please remember that not all roads across the borough are gritted. We prioritise main roads, bus routes, and access to hospitals and schools, focusing our resources where they're needed most.

"For salt to be most effective, it needs to be spread and vehicles to be driven over it before ice has begun to form.

"Please only travel if it is absolutely necessary and if you do need to, take care, especially on untreated routes."

Cheshire East says it will continue to treat the winter network in line with the forecast, with additional, ad-hoc treatments on the strategic network "planned imminently."

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