Our Winter Maintenance Team are responsible for keeping the city moving during the colder months and have a Winter Maintenance programme in place which runs from 01 October to 30 April each year to deal with snow. They also deal with other emergency events such as flooding and high winds.

Snow & ice on the road - whist heavy snowfall is not a frequent occurrence in Portsmouth, the Winter Maintenance Team are fully prepared to deal with it when it happens. The depot in Farlington has a salt barn which is kept stocked up and can hold 850 tonnes. It is the Winter Maintenance team’s priority is to ensure all transport routes in and out of the city, including major bus routes and access to places like hospitals, schools, train & bus stations and shopping centres, are clear and accessible. For gritting and salting, Colas prioritise the city’s roads according to their use and continually salt the main routes all the time snow is falling and will then move on to other roads when the snow stops.

Salt bins - There are 79 salt bins across Portsmouth and these are for public use. Residents are encouraged to use the salt wisely and remember it is not for use on private property.

Click to download priority roads and salt bin locations Colas Road Salting Priority Map »

Flooding – As well as snow, the team make every effort to combat flooding. There is a drain cleaning programme which has a planned maintenance programme as well as reactive attendances if they become blocked. Colas inspectors regularly inspect the drains as well as uneven surfaces which may cause ponding and react to any blockages or issues that may hinder water drainage.

High winds - weather reports are monitored on a daily basis to identify any potential adverse weather conditions such as high winds. The Highways and Grounds Maintenance teams are on hand day and night to deal with any reports such as fallen trees, broken branches or removal of any items which may have blown onto the roads and pavements.

Out-of-hours - Colas operates 7 days a week, 24 hours a day and out of normal working hours. This means that during the harshest of weather conditions, at any time of the day or night, our teams are available to ensure residents and road users are safe using the city’s highway.