Gritters out - It’s snow joke!

The sight of gritting lorries out on local roads in recent days has left many residents rubbing their eyes in disbelief and checking the forecast for a freak incoming cold front.

With daytime temperatures in the mid-20s and higher, you would be forgiven for thinking any such sighting was merely a mirage, a trick of the heat.

Not so.

The Times can confirm that roads in the borough are being gritted with sand and other material as a result of the recent blisteringly hot weather.

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Speaking to us on Thursday, a DRD Roads Service spokesperson said that a number of routes, mainly in rural areas, had been treated last week. These included the Glenhugh Road in Ahoghill and the Tullykittagh Road, Clough.

The spokesperson said: “Gritting vehicles are routinely used during exceptionally warm periods to apply surface dressings to roads. Sand and other material is applied to help protect the road surface from melting as a result of extreme heat.”