12/7/2005 - Council gritters no mirage

Cumbria County Council gritters will be out on the roads today in response the recent hot weather.

The gritters are usually deployed during cold snaps to combat freezing on the county’s roads. Today, however, the fleet will be spreading crushed rock dust in an effort to protect road surfaces.

Temperatures have been so high recently that bitumen surfaces have started to become viscous and under these conditions the surfaces can become stuck to vehicles and damaged.

Stretches of newly-laid road surfaces are particularly vulnerable to the process, known as "plucking-out".

The crushed rock dust should help protect roads and vehicles from damage by putting a fine non-stick layer between road and tyre.