GIANT salt mountains are hoped to help keep Bolton's roads clear during what it is predicted to be one of the coldest winters in years.

Teams are on stand-by across the borough to stop traffic grinding to a halt if forecasts of a big freeze come true.

The 20ft high pile of grit at the Highways Authority's Westhoughton depot is one part of a multi-agency operation being launched across the borough in response to the Met Office's predictions of the coldest winter since 1995.

A team of 30 drivers has been put on standby by Bolton Council's highways service, split into three shifts, to cover all conditions 24 hours a day throughout the winter.

Duty officers are also on hand to plan gritting routes which can be covered in just five hours. Thirteen gritting vehicles will cover 515km of Bolton's primary main route highway network.

There will also be more than 500 strategically placed salt bins available for members of the public to use on the public highway and fed by the council's own new 7,000 tonne state of the art purpose built rock salt barn at Mayor Street, Bolton.

Cllr Roger Hayes, executive member for Environmental Services, said: "Our main objective is to keep the main traffic routes open to permit traffic to move as freely as possible. I urge everyone to take care on the roads and pavements to reduce the likelihood of accidents."

Technology is also set to play a bigger part than ever in keeping the roads clear. The council has a sophisticated computer programme linked to road sensors allowing them to access road temperatures while the Highways Agency will carry out thermal mapping of the motorway and trunk road network to identify frost pockets.

Colin Robinson, of the Agency, said a series of "ice stations" across the region would help keep the motorway network clear, including the one at Westhoughton depot.

He added: "Information from these stations and the Met Office will enable us to react when the cold snap arrives."

Mr Robinson said that the Agency's gritters would mobilise at the first sign of snow to pre-salt the motorway and trunk road networks as part of its plan to keep traffic moving.