MORE than £1 million is spent on getting Cheshire West’s road network by the council every year, new figures show.

The data, obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service via a freedom of information request, shows that the average annual gritting spend by CWAC was £1,021,240 since 2010.

That translates to a £1,743 spend per mile (£1,084 per KM) — but this figure can vary dramatically year-on-year — from being as low as £1,301 per mile in 2015/16, to £2,224 in 2010/11, a difference of £923.

“As some winters are more severe than others, we then have to go on more gritting runs and so spend more,” a council spokesperson told the LDRS.

They added: “Last year was quieter with approximately 65 runs, this year has been a bit busier with 86 runs.

“A busy season can be more than 100 runs. We may also need to purchase equipment, for example new gritters, so the spend will vary.”

The data also revealed that CWAC has gritted 559 miles of highways (900.6 km) every winter since 2018, working out at 922 roads individually.

That is the lowest sum in the decade for which information was provided — with the furthest distance coming in 2013/14, when 599 miles (964 km) was covered.

It also has 17 gritting vehicles at its disposal, having had 18 from 2013 to 2018.