‘Significantly’ higher town centre temperatures compared with the rest of its gritting network measured by ~Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council~ have lead to the refocusing of its winter service programme to make efficiency savings. A detailed study carried out over the winter by the council has shown that, on very cold nights, the town centre is two degrees higher – and on marginally cold nights, about 1.5 degrees warmer – than surrounding areas. Before the study, the metropolitan council would grit all its designated gritting routes when ice or snow were forecast, which was proving impractical and costly. Bob Stock, principal engineer in the council’s streetpride department, said: ‘We have discovered town centre temperatures are significantly higher than the surrounding areas.’ The results of the tests have now given the council an accurate database of information which it can use to determine when and where to grit, according to the temperatures forecast. Stock continued: ‘Since we installed the sensor, we have had our gritters out about 40 times, but we have only had to grit the town centre itself about six or seven times.’ He also said he was now looking at placing a sensor on one of Rotherham’s footways because there was evidence that these would require salt, even when the carriageways adjacent to them do not. The sensor would be installed in a footway near the town centre to test the engineers’ supposition that footways would not hold the heat for as long as the carriageways they run alongside. ‘By measuring the temperatures, we will have more evidence to back this thinking up, and focus gritting in the future,’ he added.