WESTMORLAND and Furness Council will start gritting south Cumbria's roads soon as it finalises its 'winter ready' preparations. 

The council's programme runs from October until April. A spokesperson said that part of its preparations includes 'sharing useful information for our communities as we approach the colder months.' 

This includes details about road maintenance and gritting routes, what to do in the event of a flood emergency or power cut and advice on public health and adult social care. 

If the weather forecast shows that cold, icy and snowy weather is due, the council will send out gritters to spread salt on its list of priority one and priority two routes.