Gloucestershire County Council 'prepared for icy roads'

More than double the previous levels of grit are being stored in Gloucestershire to deal with icy roads.

The county council said its gritting team was on stand-by following a forecast for cold weather, especially over the weekend.

A spokesman said a new salt dome in Moreton which opened in May had increased capacity from 4,500 tonnes of grit in 2008 to 9,600 tonnes.

He said the authority had been planning for the winter since May.

Gritting teams have been out on the county's roads in the past few weeks.

Last year people stole salt from public grit bins, leaving some areas with no supplies.

The spokesman urged anyone who sees people using grit to treat their own properties to call the police.