MORE than 200 miles of roads around Swindon are being gritted today in preparation for plunging temperatures and heavy snowfall.

The borough council has said it will be gritting major A and B roads, access roads to villages, frequently used bus routes and roads to hospitals.

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A council spokesman said: "There are 500 miles of roads in Swindon. We have identified around 200 miles of major routes that most of the borough's residents and businesses use frequently. We grit these routes when the road surface temperature is likely to freeze.

See if your road is one of those gritted using the map here

"We review these routes every year. Areas that do not come under gritting routes are unlikely to receive treatment in freezing conditions. However, you may use grit bins to treat local roads and pavements."

There are eight gritting lorries, which normally start gritting about four hours before the road temperature hits freezing. Each takes about three hours to complete its route. 

In heavy snow, the council will prioritise what it calls the 'resilient network', which are the roads that allow access to hospitals, to major roads outside Swindon, and to ensure emergency services can get around. You can see a map of those roads here.

The council does not grit pavements itself because it does not have the resources to do so. You can find your nearest grit bin here.

This comes after the Met office issued a yellow weather warning for Swindon with the worst of the weather expected from 9pm tomorrow until midday on Wednesday.