Drivers warned to expect black ice on Milton Keynes roads tonight as council orders gritters out from 3pm

Milton Keynes City Council has warned drivers that black ice and hor frost is likely and urged people to take care.

Road surface temperatures are forecast to drop to -1.5C, they say.

The gritters will be covering all Priority 1 roads across the city. These include grid roads, bus routes and main accessroads and they are salted every time frost, snow or ice is forecasted.

Nine lorries each time and the job takes three hours to complete. The salting is carried out at different times based on the daily weather reports but where possible the council tries to do it outside peak times to minimise disruption.

Black ice is one of the biggest hazards on roads. It is highly transparent so it looks black like the asphalt below – hence the name – and because of this it is almost impossible for drivers to see.

Hoar frost forms when water vapor in the air freezes on solid surfaces that are already below freezing. The freezing process is so quick that it traps air, giving it its opaque appearance

MK City Council also has 400 yellow and grey (CMK) grit bins in local areas and residents can help themselves to rock salt from these to keep their local roads and footways safe.

Residential or estate roads in MK are not usually included in the council’s gritting routes unless there is heavy, lying snow for a length of time.