Gritters to spread a TREACLE substance on Milton Keynes roads to cope with freezing temperatures tonight

And, as always, the tonnes of rock salt will be coated in a black treacle or molasses substance to make it stick to the road surface and prevent cars from slipping.

Tonight's gritting will start at 8pm and all nine gritters will be out.

They load up from the council's 3,000 tonne mountain of rock salt that is stored at a depot on Bleak Hall.

The team of gritters takes around three hours to cover the routes classed as priority one in Milton Keynes. These include all grid roads, key access routes and bus routes.

A council spokesman said: "The rock salt (grit) is coated in a sticky substances made from molasses so it clings to the road."

Black treacle is a blend of cane molasses and invert sugar syrup. Molasses is the thick, brown syrup left after the sugar has been removed from the sugar cane juice.