As winter conditions continue to affect travel, Moray Council has outlined how its road gritting and winter maintenance operation works to keep communities moving as safely as possible.
Moray Council is responsible for maintaining 1,563.9 kilometres of roads across the region, supported by a detailed Winter Service Operational Plan that sets clear priorities.
Roads, footways, cycle tracks and grit bin locations are divided into four priority levels, with Priority 1 routes covering key connectors and the busiest roads.
There are 13 Priority 1 gritting routes in Moray, accounting for around 40 percent of the road network, and these are typically treated within 2.5 hours of cold weather setting in.
In total, Moray Council maintains 594.9 kilometres of Priority 1 roads, which are the first to be treated during freezing conditions.
Decisions on when and where to grit are guided by daily forecasts from the Met Office, alongside live road surface temperature readings.
Moray has 25 weather stations across the region providing real time data, allowing treatments to be applied proactively before temperatures fall below freezing.
Routes treated each day are published on the council’s interactive gritting map, which is updated twice daily.
On the ground, Moray’s winter operation includes 36 ploughs and gritters supported by a rota of 50 trained drivers.
A further 20 footpath ploughs and gritters operate across towns and villages, helping to keep pedestrian routes accessible.
The council has capacity to stockpile up to 9,000 tonnes of grit, which is delivered and stored during the summer months in preparation for winter.
Gritters usually begin early morning runs on Priority 1 routes before moving on to lower priority roads when conditions allow, with additional evening runs carried out where required.
Winter operations run from 6am until 9.30pm, seven days a week, including public holidays.
Modern vehicle mounted systems automatically adjust salt spread rates, while tracked routes confirm coverage and provide a record of completed operations.
During the winter of 2024 to 25, Moray Council treated 46,728 miles of Priority 1 roads, used 12,520 tonnes of salt, recorded road surface temperatures as low as minus 12.6°C, and carried out 1,706 separate winter actions.
Residents are being encouraged to support operations by leaving space for gritters, avoiding parking over grit bins or treated routes, and not dumping cleared snow from driveways or paths back onto the road.
Where possible, people are also asked to clear paths and park in driveways to allow ploughs a clear run through streets.
The council has also addressed common myths around gritting, stressing that while salt lowers the freezing point of water, it does not prevent ice or snow entirely, particularly during heavy snowfall or extreme cold.
Salt is applied in advance wherever possible, but it takes time to work, and treated roads can still be slippery until traffic helps mix the salt into the surface.
Officials also warn that more salt does not mean safer roads, as over salting is wasteful, costly and damaging to the environment.
Salt becomes less effective below around minus 5°C and stops working altogether at very low temperatures, which is factored into gritting schedules.
Moray Council says its winter service combines forecasting, prioritisation, modern equipment and live monitoring, but drivers are reminded that no system can guarantee perfect road conditions.
Motorists are urged to drive to conditions, reduce speed, and respect the work of gritter drivers during periods of snow and ice.
