MORE than 55 gritters and snowploughs are on standby to take on the elements as the prospect of a cold winter looms over the North-west.
Thick fog has already caused problems this week, but the Highways Agency said it was ready for the challenge of ice and snow on the region's roads and urged motorists to make sure they are equally prepared.
Drivers are being urged to equip their vehicles with a "winter weather kit".
The Highways Agency said it had more than 15,000 tons of salt across the North-west and "at the first hint of snow and ice" a fleet of vehicles would be mobilised to pre-salt the region's motorway and trunk road network.
Across Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside the Highways Agency has 13 winter weather depots and 18 ice stations, which provide real time weather information backed up by pictures from CCTV cameras.
Items the organisation is advising drivers to keep in their cars include warm clothes and boots, food, a hot drink, de-icer, a torch and a spade.
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