Cheshire East Council has confirmed the changes which will be made to the Congleton gritting routes next winter following a review.

The new gritting routes have been determined according to published assessment criteria, with each road scored and ranked accordingly, following various consultations with council members, area highway group chairs, all schools, cycling groups, town and parish councils and emergency services.

As a result, the following roads in Congleton and Astbury will no longer be gritted:

- Bailey Crescent

- Beatty Drive

- Berkshire Drive

- Brownlow Heath Lane, Astbury

- Brunswick Street

- Buxton Old Road

- Chapel Street

- Childs Lane, Astbury

- Congleton Road, Swettenham

- Coronation Road

- Crossledge

- Daisybank Drive

- Dark Lane, Gawsworth

- Daven Road

- Davidson Avenue

- Dixon Road

- Fern Crescent

- Fol Hollow

- Forge Lane

- Foster Road

- Gawsworth Road, Gawsworth

- Harvey Road

- Havannah Lane

- Highcroft Avenue

- Kennet Drive

- Kent Drive

- Leigh Road

- Moody Street

- Padgbury Lane

- Pirie Road

- Sandy Lane, Somerford

- Somerset Close

- Swaledale Avenue

- Swettenham Lane, Swettenham

- Swettenham Road, Somerford Booths

- Swettenham Road, Swettenham

- Thames Close

- Under Rainow Road

- Wagg Street

- Waggs Road

- Walfield Avenue

- Woolston Avenue

The following local roads have however been added to the gritting programme:

- Cross Lane

- Fern Crescent

- Back Lane

- Radnor Park

- Delamere Road

- Longdown Road

- Sycamore Avenue

- Cumberland Road

- Chestnut Drive

Also, these roads have all been named on Cheshire East's retained gritting list:

- Albert Place

- Antrobus Street

- Barn Road

- Borough Road

- Box Lane

- Bromley Road

- Burns Road

- Canal Road

- Canal Street

- Crouch Lane

- Eaton Bank

- Edinburgh Road

- Festival Hill

- Giantswood Lane

- High Street

- Jackson Road

- Kinsey Street

- Lawton Street

- Leek Road

- Market Square

- Market Street

- Middle Lane

- Mill Street

- Moss Road

- Reades Lane

- St Johns Road

- Swan Bank

- Tunstall Road

- Weathercock Lane

- West Street

- Wharfdale Road

- Giantswood Lane, Hulme Walfied

- Moss Road, Astbury

- Peel Lane, Astbury

- Mow Lane, Astbury

- The Village, Astbury

- Wallhill Lane, Astbury

- Giantswood Lane, Somerford Booths

- Hall Green Lane, Somerford Booths

The 'Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure' (WMHI) code of practice, which is overseen by the UK Roads Liaison Group on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT), recommended local highway authorities review gritting routes to prioritise the most critical parts of the road network.

This includes local amenities, public transport and risks – such as steep gradients, cold spots and other known local issues.

This guidance, which will be linked to incentive funding from the DfT, has been adopted by Cheshire East Council to demonstrate best practice.

A total of 1,043km out of 2,700km (38 per cent) of the highway network has been identified as requiring routine winter treatment.

Cllr Craig Browne, chair of the council's highways and transport committee, said: "This review was essential to ensure the council does not lose future incentive funding (around £2m) from the DfT, thereby placing an even bigger strain on the borough's crumbling road network.

"The code of practice requires that we focus our efforts on gritting roads where there is higher risk and we will continue to provide an effective and responsive service – as the safety of our road users is paramount."

The winter maintenance season will run from 1 October 2021 to April 2022 and will provide a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week service to keep the borough's roads open and safe during the winter months.