Derbyshire County Council explains why gritters were on road during heatwave

A gritting lorry in Derbyshire in more typical conditions. Residents were shocked to spot one on the A61 recently in 28 degrees.

Residents contacted us after spotting the vehicles on the A61 Dronfield Bypass on one of the hottest days of the year.

One resident said: “As we started on the Dronfield bypass on Monday (September 6) we were shocked to see a gritting lorry spreading salt onto the road.

"With temperatures reaching 28 degrees what was the point?”

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A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “Although you’d never have guessed it given the lovely weather we’ve had in recent weeks, our gritting season officially starts in just over a fortnight.

"We have some new gritter drivers this year and we were out training them so that they’re well-prepared to hit the ground running when temperatures drop.

"This involved driving short sections of the route and putting down small amounts of salt as part of their training.”