Gritters cover equivalent of London to Tokyo

Surrey County Council’s gritting lorries have treated 6,089 miles of road since Christmas Eve, which is the equivalent of travelling from London to Tokyo*.

As temperatures plummeted, the council’s winter operation kicked into gear with the fleet of 39 gritters drawing on the 16,000 tonnes of salt stockpiled at depots across Surrey in preparation for icy conditions.

The gritting lorries made 179 trips, including on Christmas Day to keep Surrey as safe as possible.

Ahead of winter, the council filled almost 1,800 grit bins and signed up an army of farmers equipped with spreaders and ploughs.

* The distance from London to Tokyo is 5,954 miles as the crow flies