Winter services
Keeping Blackburn with Darwen moving in the cold weather
Blackburn with Darwen Council provides a winter service from October through to March. Our staff work round the clock during the winter months to keep the roads clear. We monitor the weather closely and where temperatures are due to plummet below zero, we spread salt on the roads to prevent ice and snow forming. If snow settles, then the ploughs are used to clear the roads. Salt bins are also provided at certain locations to assist road users and residents on a self help basis.
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View the primary and secondary gritting routes covered by our gritters in our new map.
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View all the Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council supplied grit bins on our new map.
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The Council has already placed its order for salt for this winter and taken delivery. Some 2,500 tonnes of salt were delivered in August and September.
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How do we know when snow and ice are on the way?
We start watching the weather from October each year and continue 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until the last frosts of spring.
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We cannot salt every road in the borough, both for practical and economical reasons so certain principal and non-principal roads are salted.
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Ice starts to form and snow starts to settle when the surface temperature of the road drops below zero.
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Which roads are included in salt spreading and where are salt bins placed?
There are four principal and four non-principal gritting routes within the borough. The principal routes include all of the main roads and the non-principal routes most other busy roads.
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The Council has six gritters to which snow ploughs can be attached if required. We also have a snow blower. The gritters and snow blower are operated by the environment department.
Latest information
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If your GP invites you for a flu jab this year, please make a date and go. That’s the message of this year’s flu campaign as GPs begin sending letters to hundreds of patients urging them to take up the free vaccination.
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Keep warm, keep well in winter
During winter and very cold weather, you can keep yourself warm and well by following some simple guidelines.
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Sign up to new winter facebook page
Blackburn with Darwen Council is already planning ahead following last year’s unprecedented bad weather.
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Winter tips on clearing snow and ice
There's no law stopping you from clearing snow and ice on the pavement outside your home or from public spaces. And despite what some people claim, it's very unlikely you'll be sued or held legally responsible for any injuries on the path if you have cleared it carefully.
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Council declares “We are ready” as temperatures start to plummet
Council declares “We are ready” as temperatures start to plummet