Fife Council has ordered 40,000 tonnes of salt in a bid to prevent a repeat of last year’s winter weather fiasco.
The amount is almost three times more than would be used in an average year and it is hoped it will be enough to keep the region’s roads open.
The region practically ground to a halt last November as snow blanketed the country and freezing conditions compounded the misery for motorists.
Those without cars also became stranded at home as the treacherous state of pavements made it almost impossible for many to walk outside.
However, this year Fife has said it is ready for Arctic weather and declared the area will stay open for business.
A guide on how the local authority responds to severe weather has been published and placed in libraries and local services centres across the region.
The publication, The Winter Gritting and Snow Clearing Service, can also be viewed at fifedirect.org.uk/winter, along with further information on gritting routes and grit bin locations.
A winter budget of £3.29 million has been set aside for this season £0.34m more than last year which actually ended up costing the council a massive £7.3 million.
Additional plant has been bought to help clear roads and the local authority has financial reserves to deal with any extra cost incurred in the event of extreme weather.
Despite increasing its salt stocks by 150% from 8,000 to 21,000 tonnes last year, in common with many other local authorities across Scotland, Fife’s stockpile fell dangerously low by mid December and salt conservation measures had to be imposed.
This meant only a limited service could be provided, with council workers concentrating on major routes until further stocks could be delivered.
By the end of the winter 26,000 tonnes had been used but it is estimated that had conservation measures not been introduced, between 36,000 and 40,000 tonnes would have been needed to keep the roads network moving.
In a recent report, Derek Crowe, senior manager in Fife’s roads and engineering service, said: ”Based on this year’s salt usage and applying no salt conservation practices, the proposed requirement is for a pre-winter stock of 40,000 tonnes.”