How do we know when ice or snow is on the way?
We monitor the weather day and night, seven days a week from October to March.
We aim to keep the most important roads and footpaths in Leeds safe and as free as possible from wintry hazards.
Salt and grit
To do this we spread salt and grit to prevent ice and snow forming. If snow settles, we use ploughs to help keep the roads clear.
The main salt spreading routes include all the main roads, most other busy roads, most bus routes as well as access to hospitals and emergency services. These are always salted when any wintry hazards are forecast and get priority attention during prolonged wintry weather.
If wintry conditions persist and we have treated these roads then we will begin to treat the other roads. We aim to treat footpaths and paved areas if there is snow or frost over a longer period.
Because it's impossible for the gritters to spread salt on every road in Leeds, we provide salt bins on steep roads or busy footpaths to help people clear ice and snow themselves if necessary.
Snow
When snow is forecast salt is spread on the roads to slow the rate of snow settling. Salt alone has very little effect on snow. Once the snow is about about 25mm or 1 inch it is deep enough to plough.
What you can do
- check the forecast as the Met Office usually gives advance warning of bad weather conditions
- allow extra time for a journey
- remember that ice is most likely to occur between 6:00am and 8:00am
- if a road has not been treated keep your speed down.
Icy or snowy roads are usually passable if you are careful and drive sensibly, traffic will be slower and congestion is inevitable, especially at peak periods.
Contacting us
Our contact details are on the top right corner of this page.
If you need to report an emergency out of normal office hours please ring 0113 376 8540.