AFTER the first snowflakes of winter fell in London on Thursday, highways teams across the county are reassuring residents their gritters are primed and ready.

In Brighton, the city’s gritting machines – including Gritter Garbo, Melton John, Alexander the Grit and Brighton Belle – are on high alert to tackle freezing conditions.

Despite mild forecasts for the week ahead the council’s winter duty managers have launched their annual 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week service from now until March.

Brighton and Hove has seven gritters, seven ploughs, six hand spreaders, one pavement gritter and three tractors and JCBs.

The winter duty managers assess forecasts every lunchtime and, if needed, try to ensure salt and grit is spread before severe cold weather strikes.

To tackle the icy conditions the council has 1,500 tonnes of salt stored at CityClean’s Hollingdean depot, with 1,000 tonnes more in storage at Shoreham Harbour. The average amount of salt used eachwinter is about 800 tonnes.

During periods of prolonged heavy snowfall, certain pavements are cleared in priority order, with central shopping areas, pedestrian routes and around hospitals first, followed by other important pavements and local shopping areas.

Since it is not possible to grit the 700 miles of pavements in the city – the same distance from Brighton to John O’Groats – there are 420 grit bins for residents to use.

But people are warned this grit should be used sparingly as the bins will only be refilled during very severe winter conditions and this can divert staff from other important roles.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chairwoman of the environment and transport committee, said: “The winter service covers all main roads and all bus routes within the city, plus access to emergency service depots. This includes ploughing and salt gritting almost 200 miles of roads, snow ploughing, pavement clearing and filling grit bins for residents to use.”

In East Sussex 24 gritters will grit some 42 per cent of roads – all A and B roads and some C roads – amounting to 777 miles.

The authority gives priority to C roads leading to hospitals, fire ambulance and police stations, bus and railway stations, main shopping areas and schools and difficult sites such as very steep hills.

There are also 900 grit bins residents and businesses can use.

In West Sussex a fleet of 22 gritters is at the ready and contractor Balfour Beatty has stockpiled 10,500 tonnes of salt. It has held “dry runs”, known as Operation Snowflake, to check staff and resources are ready for when winter bites.