The critical services and emergency response that Tayside Contracts provide help to keep the public safe and minimise disruption caused by weather events. Our critical services include Winter Maintenance, Flood Response, and severe potholes.
During the Winter months, Tayside Contracts treats over 350,000 kilometres of road network.
We have an extensive fleet of specialist winter equipment at our disposal including snow blowers, which keep the various Glens clear around Tayside, and a fleet of over 70 gritters which are on hand to ensure that we maintain the continuity of our road network. Our fleet of over 50 mini plough tractors are also prepared and ready to be deployed to keep footways clear throughout Tayside.
Salt stocks are replenished during the summer months. Approximately 50,000 tonnes of salt are stockpiled at the start of the season. with further deliveries ordered to replenish supplies as and when required.
There are over 2,600 grit bins located throughout the Tayside region which are repaired and replenished before the cold weather starts. These are then refilled throughout the season as usage levels require.
Further information can be found on our parent council websites Winter Maintenance pages,
Gullies (otherwise known as road drains) are maintained by Tayside Contracts along with other types of drainage systems which furnish the roadside. These systems are serviced on a cyclical basis with high-risk areas receiving more frequent visits.
We aim to deliver a service to mitigate the risk of flooding. In the event of extreme flooding, Gully tankers are called in to remove water from the area, and where possible, remove blockages from drainage systems to improve the flow of water.
Gullies can become blocked for various reasons. If this presents a potential risk of flooding, please highlight it to your council who will act accordingly. If on the off chance a gully pot starts to emit unpleasant odours, it may be due to organic matter breaking down in the pot, or the U-bend has dried out, allowing odours from deeper within the drainage system to escape.
The contents removed from all Tayside drainage systems are processed through our ecological treatment system. This is a natural system utilising selected plant life designed to treat collected water and associated silt, please do not dispose of any unwanted solid or liquid waste down roadside drains.
Tayside Contracts operate under contract on behalf of our constituent councils to react to emergencies which arise in our areas.
Squads are called upon to deal with events to safely minimise disruption to public services.
Localised defects which can make areas unsafe are categorised and actioned accordingly. Major potholes are made safe through either a ‘first time fix’ or a temporary repair which is then followed up with a permanent fix.
Weather events can be unexpected and unpredictable, our squads are deployed to carry out some of the following activities,