• Over 61,000 tonnes of salt stocked ahead of winter

• 158 winter vehicles ready to tackle challenging conditions

• ‘Snowlene’ and ‘Lionel Gritchie’ among fleet of newly named gritters

BEAR Scotland is gearing up for another busy winter, with a 158-strong fleet and more than 61,000 tonnes of salt ready to help keep Scotland’s trunk road traffic moving through the colder months.

Responsible for maintaining over 1,987km of trunk roads across the North West and South East trunk road networks as well as sections of the M80 and A92, BEAR Scotland, working on behalf of Transport Scotland, has completed its winter preparations, with teams ready to respond to freezing temperatures and adverse weather.

The fleet includes 57 large, 32-tonne eight-wheeler salt spreaders – some of the largest in the UK – alongside 24 footway spreaders and eight snow blower attachments, capable of shifting up to 1,300 tonnes of snow per hour.

This winter will also see newly named gritters take to the roads following BEAR Scotland’s recent public naming competition, with ‘Snow Scotland Snow Party’, a wintry take on the phrase that captured the imagination of Scotland fans during this year’s World Cup, alongside ‘Snowlene’ and ‘Lionel Gritchie’ among the new names joining the fleet.

Behind the scenes, BEAR Scotland’s 24/7 control room will monitor weather forecasts and road conditions, supported by overnight winter patrols gathering real-time road surface temperature data and carrying out treatments where required.

Using detailed forecasts from Metdesk, teams will apply pre-wetted salt ahead of freezing temperatures to help prevent ice forming and keep key routes safer for motorists.

Specialist landscaping teams are also on hand to deal high winds and fallen trees, with 33 pumps and 4,400 sandbags ready to support flood response efforts.

Andy Thompson, Managing Director at BEAR Scotland, said: “A huge amount of work goes into preparing for winter, and our teams are ready to face whatever the Scottish weather brings.

“From our frontline operatives to those monitoring conditions around the clock, everyone plays an important role in keeping Scotland moving through the colder months.

“We encourage motorists to play their part by checking weather forecasts and road conditions before travelling, ensuring their vehicles are winter-ready and allowing extra time for journeys when conditions are forecasted to be challenging.”

See BEAR’s gritters and where they’ve been using the Traffic Scotland Gritter Tracker.

Real-time traffic information is available at www.trafficscotland.org or on X at @trafficscotland.

Updates on BEAR’s winter service are posted on X at @NWTrunkRoads, @SETrunkRoads and @BEAR_M80.

Find out more on BEAR Scotland’s winter portal: www.bearscot.com/winter-portal