Teams are continuing their concerted effort throughout the weekend to ensure the county can keep on the move amid freezing temperatures and treacherous conditions which have affected communities this week.
Crews have been working alongside farmers and volunteers to ensure that the county’s roads and footpaths can remain open as it battles the most extreme weather in seven years, with temperatures plummeting as low as minus 12C.
All priority roads across North Yorkshire have been treated this evening and will be treated again early in the morning.
Farming contractors are continuing to plough roads in more rural areas, with conditions in the west of the county proving particularly challenging.
The Harrogate area and the Yorkshire Dales have been a focus of activity after heavy snow, drifts and freezing temperatures stretched resources and created particularly hazardous conditions.
Extra manpower, including farming contractors and operatives from the council’s waste and parks teams, has been drafted in to treat footpaths affected by snow in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.
Despite extreme weather conditions hampering initial efforts, positive progress is now being made and treatments will be continuing over the weekend.
In addition to treatment of key priority roads, an additional 70 residential streets in and around Harrogate have now been treated as of Friday evening. We have treated the busiest paths and those around key facilities including schools, while more than 120 grit bins replenished in the area so far.
Executive member for highways and transportation, Cllr Keane Duncan, said: “Our gritting teams, farming contractors and volunteers have been working around the clock during this extreme winter event.
“They’ve battled heavy snow, ice, fog and freezing conditions to try to keep the county on the move.
“The prolonged sub-zero temperatures and snow drifts have inevitably stretched our resources and frustrated our efforts.
“We know conditions in and around Harrogate have proven particularly hazardous in recent days.
“Extra manpower has been targeted there, and we are thankfully now seeing significant improvement to footpaths, with resources focussed on key facilities such as shops, schools, transport stations and hospitals.
“We have also stepped in to clear the worst-affected residential streets too.
“This effort continues in Harrogate, and across the county, this weekend. In addition to our gritting teams, we have extra operatives working to keep roads and paths clear.
“Temperatures are expected to warm up at the start of next week, which will thankfully accelerate the thawing of snow that has proven to be so stubborn and troublesome.
“While this winter event has been one of the most challenging we’ve seen, we would like to assure that the public that we are using every resource available to us to treat our network and will continue to do so as long as is necessary.
“We continue to ask people to take care and thank the public for their understanding.”
The A59 at Kex Gill remains closed to the public following a landslip last week, with the diversion route being gritted and ploughed to ensure it is clear of drifting snow.
See more information about gritting.
See advice on staying well during the cold weather.
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