A gritting operation will take place on Southend’s roads as the region prepares itself for heavy snow this weekend.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for the whole of Essex in anticipation of the snow.

The warning suggests there could be up to 20cm in parts of the county, and other parts of eastern England.

Southend Council says gritters will be out this weekend, while 122 salt bins stand ready to be used across the borough.

There is also more than 1,500 tonnes of salt in reserve. A quad bike with a trailer will cover key areas such as the hospital, COVID-19 testing sites and vaccination centres.

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As well as the roads, Veolia – which is in charge of the operation - uses small gritting vehicles to keep miles of pavements and walkways safe across the borough. Southend Council’s environment and planning boss Carole Mulroney is urging residents to make all-but essential journeys when the snow hits.

She said: “Although we are in a national lockdown and there is less traffic on the road and less people out, keeping Southend moving whatever the weather is crucial for our residents making essential journeys, our businesses, and emergency services, and we are ready to act when the need arises.

“This weekend, priority roads and pavements will be gritted before Saturday evening and Sunday morning when the current forecast is showing sleet and snow. There may also be rain which can wash away some of the grit so we will monitor things carefully to consider the best times to be out gritting.

“Resources will be available at the weekend and into next week and the forecast will be monitored and staff will be deployed as necessary.

“I would like to urge all residents to ensure they check their vehicles and road conditions before setting out on what, at the moment, must be essential journeys only, and even then, if conditions are poor, consider waiting until the weather improves, giving our gritters the ability to treat our roads.”

The main gritter will spread nine tonnes of salt during a single trip and two smaller gritters cover additional routes and both spread 5 .

The council says its gritters have already been out 21 times since December 2020, spreading over 400 tonnes of salt.