With the cold weather setting in for winter, Dudley Council is reminding people they can keep up to date with the latest information on gritting and other council services online.

Dudley Council’s Weather Watch web page is packed full of key information including gritting runs and routes, grit bin locations and general information about the teams who work round the clock to help keep the roads moving during the bad weather.

School closures, bin collections and other council services affected by the weather are also included on the page, as well as advice on keeping well and warm during the winter. Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for environmental services, said:

"As always, we are asking everyone to drive and travel carefully, plan journeys ahead and stay safe this winter. Whatever the weather, we will do all we can to keep the borough moving and we know that a large part of this is helping people to feel better informed to plan their trip.

"The latest news and information during inclement weather on our Weather Watch page as well as Facebook and Twitter, where people can also post their comments and questions to us.”

The council has a team of 65 people who work in shifts around the clock to monitor the weather for any expected plunge in temperatures or snowfall. The gritting team, based at the council’s Lister Road depot, will work around the clock to keep almost 300 of roads clear during severe weather using 6,500 tonnes of grit which will last throughout the winter period.

The council’s weather watch page can be found at dudley.gov.uk and will be updated throughout the Winter. Updates will also be posted on the council’s twitter feed and by following #WMGrit which also includes gritting updates from neighbouring Black Country authorities. Any information on school closures and travel adjustments will also be made public via Black Country Radio's own social media and live broadcasts.