GLOUCESTERSHIRE County Council has announced that it has treble the amount of salt held six years ago to help cope with icy roads this winter.

As well as 12,000 tonnes of salt the council has also reminded residents that there are more than 100 salt hand-spreaders available and that 1000 bags of salt have been delivered to parish councils ahead of the winter.

Plans are in place to salt all major routes when the winter weather arrives including roads leading to emergency services such as hospitals and fire stations and many of the most frequent bus routes.

Cllr Vernon Smith, cabinet member for highways said, "As we start to think about the festive season and all the journeys our families will make, the county council is ready to keep our roads open during the colder times. Since April we've already made an investment of £14m in road improvements, which puts us in a good place as winter approaches."

Between April and October more than 58,000 tonnes of new material was laid to fix worn out roads across the county, with 42km of new road surface, 66km of roads resurfaced with micro and surface dressing and further areas equivalent to 56 football pitches have been patched.

As well as planned resurfacing, surface dressing and patching over the summer, more than 15,000 potholes have been filled since April, and more than 4350 miles of grass verges have been cut to make sure drivers can see safely at junctions and roundabouts.

In addition, highway crews emptied more than 20,000 gullies so that water can freely drain away from roads and footpaths, helping to prevent future flooding.

When bad weather hits, latest updates are available via @GlosRoads on Twitter using #glosprepared. You can also visit www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/winter and listen out for updates in local media.