A NEW fleet of gritting lorries costing £2.3 million is to be bought by Somerset Council ahead of next winter.

The council already has 23 gritters, with two new vehicles entering service last winter which were named ‘Basil Salty’ and ‘Gritney Spears’ as a result of a naming competition run in Somerset schools.

Ten of the existing vehicles are reaching the end of their active service life, and many others are suffering ‘significant deterioration’ which costs the council increasing amounts in ongoing maintenance.

Now, the authority has contracted with Romaquip to purchase 14 replacement vehicles over the next four years, with an option to extend to a further five gritters if required.

Council infrastructure and transport officer Jeremy Fry said nine of the gritters were more than 10 years old and another nine were between five and 10 years old.

Mr Fry said: “The nature of winter gritting operations is that these assets suffer significant deterioration due to excessive abrasive corrosion resulting from the salting.

“The oldest gritters in our fleet are now experiencing significant maintenance and repair attention, and next year these will be subjected to higher maintenance rates.

“Furthermore, the risk to service delivery due to ageing of the fleet is a significant concern due to time off road for repairs and maintenance.

“The provision of these new vehicles ensures we can continue to meet our statutory duties, which require local authorities to keep highways safe and passable in adverse weather conditions.”

The council spends about £200,000 a year on servicing and maintaining its gritting fleet.

Mr Fry said the Romaquip contract included an option to purchase five more vehicles in the third year of the agreement, although the authority would need to allocate additional funding to cover the extra cost.