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Winter maintenance

We help keep roads and pavements safe in winter by gritting and ploughing. This page explains when and where we grit, how grit bins work and what you can do to help.

Our legal duty

Under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, we must take reasonable steps to reduce the risk from snow and ice on public roads.

How we prepare

In winter, our gritters and snow ploughs are on 24‑hour standby. Our roads team monitors weather and road conditions and plans gritting for the next 24 hours.

We use rock salt for most gritting. Grit (sand) is only used when temperatures are extremely low. Salt becomes less effective below −8°C.

When conditions are difficult

We aim to spread salt before ice forms, but this is not always possible. Rain can freeze quickly, or heavy traffic can delay our gritters. If rain turns to snow during rush hour, gritters may not be able to reach all areas.

Large vehicles like gritters and snow ploughs can struggle on narrow streets or tight bends. You can help by avoiding double parking or parking off the road if it is safe to do so.

If conditions are severe and you’re worried about safety, don’t travel. Wait until roads are cleared — if vehicles get stuck, gritters can’t get through.

Read more about how grit works.

Report a problem

If you need to report a road or gritting problem:

When we grit

Gritting action may be delayed

Unfortunately, no matter how accurate the forecast, there are situations where we cannot grit the network prior to icy conditions or where treatments will be delayed. Some of the situations are as follows:

  • When rain is followed by rapidly clearing skies: Salting will normally start after the rain has stopped (to avoid the salt being washed away). Sometimes temperatures may fall by as much as 5 degrees per hour and the wet roads may freeze before we have started or completed salting.
  • "Dawn frost" occurs on dry roads: This happens when early morning dew develops, falls on a cold road, and freezes on impact. It is impossible to forecast with any accuracy where and when it will occur.
  • Rush hour snowfall: When rain turns to snow coinciding with the rush hour, early salting cannot take place as it would be washed away and gritters cannot make progress due to traffic congestion. We will, however, always carry out salting to remove ice, in line with the road priority. This is not ideal, however, as salting takes longer due to traffic congestion.

How we decide where to grit

We prioritise roads so the busiest and most important routes are treated first. Resources are limited, so we treat strategic routes before local roads. When severe weather is forecast, we grit about 43.5% (around 156 km) of the public road network in West Dunbartonshire.

Priority 1 routes

These include:

  • A and B class roads
  • Main urban routes and routes to schools (where identifiable)
  • Major bus routes
  • Routes to emergency services

Priority 2 routes

These include: Local distributor roads, rural roads, and residential streets. Treatment Policy:

  • We only treat these when severe weather (ice or snow) is expected to last for more than 48 hours and
  • all Priority 1 routes are clear

Treatment of secondary roads is carried out during normal working hours. It can take several days to reach all locations.

Footway (pavement) gritting

We do not carry out routine precautionary footway gritting. Pavements are only treated during severe prolonged weather, or when operational duties permit. We follow this priority:

  1. Town centres and shopping areas
  2. Areas near hospitals and schools
  3. Steep hills near sheltered housing or care homes
  4. Transport hubs and busy walking links
  5. Main pedestrian routes in large housing areas

We usually start with one side of the pavement that serves the most people and move through the priorities as time and weather allow.

Grit bins

Grit bins are for public use and are filled with a mix of salt and grit during winter, as resources allow. We aim to make bins available near homes where possible, while balancing refill and service capacity.

Where we place bins

We use the following criteria when considering a location:

  • Must be on or next to a public road or pavement
  • Should serve a steep hill, tight bend or area prone to icing
  • Should benefit several properties (not a single property)
  • May be placed where drainage is poor or where accidents have occurred
  • Must be accessible for refilling
  • Normally provided in urban areas only
  • Not usually within 300 m of another grit bin

Grit bins are not provided on private or unadopted roads. Developers must provide bins for new developments where required by planning conditions. We currently supply over 480 grit bins across West Dunbartonshire and leave them in place all year.

Request or report a grit bin

To request a new grit bin or report a problem, see our Grit bins page.

Removal or relocation

We may remove or move a grit bin if:

  • salt is being misused
  • residents cannot agree a location
  • the bin is repeatedly vandalised
  • the bin significantly affects local amenity during summer (temporary removal may occur)

Servicing

We refill bins as soon as possible after severe weather once main gritting duties allow. High‑altitude locations are prioritised.

Residents may collect up to 10 kg of rock salt for private use from the following depots (bring your own container):

  • Elm Road Depot, Dumbarton, G82 2RH
  • Stanford Street Depot, Clydebank, G81 1RF

Stay alert for ice

  • Rain followed by clear skies can cause ice to form quickly.
  • Frost can form after sunrise, even on roads that look dry.
  • Black ice is hard to see and very slippery.
  • Water running off verges can freeze into isolated icy patches.