NATIONAL Highways is reminding motorists to give extra attention to vehicles.

With snow forecast this week, motorists are once again being reminded to give gritting vehicles time and space while they are out on National Highways’ roads network.

The yellow warning is in place from 9pm tonight (Monday, March 6). It is set to last until 10am tomorrow (Tuesday, March 7).

The warning is in place in a coastal areas of West Somerset, Sedgemoor and North Somerset.

In a recent survey commissioned by National Highways, while nearly three quarters of people said they take extra care when overtaking a HGV, 36 per cent said they did not know how many blind spots a HGV had. Thirty-six per cent also admitted feeling nervous when passing trucks.

National Highways manages 4,500 miles of A-roads and motorways and can call upon around 530 gritters in extreme weather conditions.

Darren Clark, Severe Weather Resilience Manager at National Highways, said: “As our gritting teams go out to spread salt on the roads, our message is simple to all road users: "Please be patient and give us the time and space to do what we need to do to keep you safe."

“If you are going to pass us, please do so courteously, pass us safely and legally, or even better, if you are able to stay back, you will actually help the salt on the road activate even more quickly by crushing and breaking it into the road surface which benefits everyone."

"We are once again totally committed to working around the clock on these seasonal operations to keep all road users safe and thank everyone in advance for their patience and understanding.”

Darren Clark said: “Not all roads will need treating on any given day. Gritters may need to go out in some regions if road temperatures are expected to fall below +1 degrees C, and if there is a risk of ice forming, but not in other areas if conditions are not as cold.

“National Highways is committed to treating every road which needs to be treated - whenever it is needed. We are armed with the latest technology, forecasting intelligence and years of experience to help us make informed decisions about where and when we need to spread salt to help keep road users safe in even the most adverse weather conditions.”

RAC Breakdown spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “With a sudden switch to considerably colder conditions, the potential for vehicle breakdowns increases significantly. If a car struggles to start, the battery either needs charging – by taking it for at least a 30-minute drive – or is a sign it’s about to fail and will need replacing."

Abigail Oakes, Senior Account Manager at the Met Office, said: “We are delighted to continue our close working relationship with National Highways this autumn and winter season.

“Our staff, be that meteorologists embedded alongside the National Highways team in Birmingham during the autumn and winter, or Met Office staff working from Exeter to deliver and support throughout the year, are proud to continue this partnership, which allows for the best possible support for road users during periods of severe weather.”

She further added :"We have invested £44m over two years replacing 252 gritters. National Highways now has around 530 gritting vehicles which can be out on our roads in sub-zero temperatures helping us to maintain our network and enhance our service to customers."

This equates to one gritter to 530 gritters includes 443 Romaquip Volvo gritting vehicles – all of which have been introduced through the replacement programme that started in 2018.