Council highways teams have been busy treating the 1,090 kms Cheshire East road network in response to the rain, sleet and snow along with freezing temperatures.
High level routes to the east of the borough including Macclesfield have been gritted repeatedly.
The team’s fleet of 19 vehicles - which includes gritters, snow blowers, snow ploughs and all-terrain quad bikes - will be in action every night until at least early next week.
The council’s winter maintenance season began in October but the mild and wet weather has meant the gritters have rarely been needed.
Gritting teams were only deployed twice in the whole of December – compared to an average of 15 trips in previous years.
Councillor David Brown, deputy leader for the council, said: “This week is winter as we expect it to be. December, with persistent wet and mild weather, was exceptional.
“For the gritters to have been deployed less than a handful of times by Christmas was very unusual. Instead, our highways teams had issues such as heavy rain and flooding to contend with.
“Because of all the rain we have had recently, which is still pouring off open land and hillsides and onto our roads, there is a real risk of ice over the next few days as this surface water freezes.
“Our gritting teams will do their job and reduce the risk of roads icing, but we still ask residents to drive with extra care during these difficult conditions. Put safety first to ensure an accident free journey home.”
Gritting routes, salt bin information and tips for travelling during winter can also be found on the council website.
