We are very, very pleased to inform our customers and non-customers that we are now in receipt of a small quantity of salt.

This should be enough to carry out a full gritting service to our current customers for seven nights.  We are also expecting more to be delivered today and next week.

We will continue to put more orders to our suppliers until our storage bay is full, and our new storage facility is full.  Spa does not intend to be in the same situation as we were in January, national salt shortage or not!

The MET Office are predicting snow in the Midlands area for this Wednesday and Thursday, and heavy rain on Friday.

We have managed to acquire a small amount of salt, which will enable us to carry out ‘Critical Gritting’ to our customers for this week.  By Critical, we mean ramps and main entrances of our customers’ sites. We still have our snow clearing service on standby.

Obviously, if anymore of our salt orders are actually delivered to us, we will be able to change from Critial areas to the Full service we strive to perform.

As the vast majority of the country has been gripped in a cold and snowy spell since late December, all salt supplies around the country have been limited by the Government.

The many thousands of tonnes of salt that we ourselves have had on order since before Christmas are yet to arrive at our depot.  Most have been diverted to the Highways Agencies to keep the main roads clear.

This has unfortunately left us with a bare minimum of salt supplies to maintain our contracts.  We would like assure our existing customers and potential customers that we are doing everything we can to rectify this.

We have scoured the United Kingdom and beyond to get regular salt, and have been testing many alternatives.  We have been using our snow ploughing equipment to clear as many sites as possible, and we are currently in discussions with the Government to allow us enough supplies to at least give our customers a minimum service.

This site will be updated as often as possible to keep you all updated, until then, please stay safe.

Firstly, we would like to wish everyone a happy and prosporous 2010.

The year so far has been exceedingly busy for all of us at Spa Environmental Care. 

Our operatives have been working tirelessly since the freezing weather started back in late December.  There was only enough respite in the temperatures for a few slices of turkey on Christmas day. 

We consider ourselves fortunate to have staff such as ours, as without them, our reputation would not be as good as it is.

I got quite a surprise this morning, when I had frost on my windscreen!

The temperature at 6.30 this morning was 3°C.  Luckily, although there was frost on my windscreen, the road surface temperature was above freezing, therefore, no frost or ice on the roads.

The difference between the air temperature, and the road surface temperature can be more than you’d expect.  Most of the tv weather reports give you the air temperature. which, for example, could be 2°C, but the Road Surface Temperature (RST) on urban roads could be minus 1°C, and the RST could be lower at minus 3°C on rural roads.

It is the RST together with humidity that will determine whether a gritting run is necessary or not. 

23 - 24th  February 2010

Air Temperature: Minimum temperature is expected at PS00