THE pungent aroma of a product that will help make roads and motorways safer for travellers will be very evident on freezing nights in and around Bromsgrove this winter, writes Pete Lammas.

For grit, or more properly the crushed rock salt used in vast quantities to keep our roads free of ice and snow, now has an added ingredient - molasses.

Grit stocks held over from last year at county council depots have been given a coating of the new product, but fresh supplies from 600-metre deep mines in Cheshire will be treated on site as it is hauled to the surface.

Last week, ahead of the official October 14 start date for local winter gritting operations, 600 tonnes was treated from a huge tanker drawn alongside the huge storage 'dome.'

A not unpleasant, sweet smell hung over the depot as the molasses were piped in from a huge tanker. The product, developed and tested by a company called Safecote, has been tested in some of Europe's coldest regions and is a by-product from the sugar industry.

Safecote's eastern European manager Doug Shipsey was on hand at the Lydiate Ash depot as the substance, which has the constituency of runny Marmite, was sprayed on to the heap of grit as it passed through an elevator. And he says it has some remarkable properties.

As is well known, salt is an enemy of metal. Vehicles, bridges and street furniture, such as lamp standards, are at risk of corrosion on contact, but when mixed with Safecote this is reduced by some 80 per cent.

This results in a huge saving in time cleaning the vehicles at the end of a night's run by the council's fleet of 29 gritters. And according to Doug, Safecote also has remarkable 'de-rusting' properties and is not harmful to vehicle coachwork.

It can also greatly speed up the time it takes to melt ice on contact. Another plus point is its adhesive qualities.

The sticky coating prevents fine particles of salt bouncing off dry road surfaces and being swept into gutters and drains. This can mean a saving in grit of some 20 to 30 per cent, which in turn means money saved and greatly reduces the time treking back to the depot to fill up.

Another plus point according to Doug is the substance's ability to remain effective for longer and that it is less harsh on road surfaces.

The product was tested in some areas of the county last winter and proved so successful that Worcestershire County Council has, along with several other local authorities, decided to use it in future.

According to the county's highways network control manager Jon Fraser the extra costs involved are outweighed by the advantages.

"Last year's trials proved very successful. We are always seeking to improve our winter maintenance service and with Safecote's help our operation will be more efficient and cost effective." One curious fact emerged during the trials, he said. Gritter drivers noticed the smell appears to be irresistible to wildlife, particularly rabbits who were spotted lapping it up on the grass verges.