ROAD users will be able to get the latest travel information thanks to ten new weather stations at some of the highest points in Craven and North Yorkshire

The station at Ribblehead, like the nine others, will allow people to see the road conditions in the area of the Yorkshire Three Peaks before starting their journeys.

The county council says the weather stations will increase its coverage of monitoring sites, giving its decision makers better knowledge of the weather conditions.

The new sites will also be equipped with solar powered cameras that will shortly have their images displayed on the county council’s website- for everyone to see.

Until now highways officers have not been able to run cameras from solar powered sites, but camera and battery technologies have improved over the past few years.

Ribblehead is a vast area of moorland at the head of the River Ribble, close to the peaks of Ingleborough and Whernside, and in winter the snow can sweep in rapidly and conditions for travelling can deteriorate with alarming speed.

Another weather station has gone up on the A6068 at Cowling Moss, a route which climbs and twists between Cross Hills and Colne.

County councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for highways said it was a great step forward.

“This state-of-the-art equipment allows us to have invaluable, up-to-the-minute information about the state of our roads across some of our highest roads.

“North Yorkshire has some of the most challenging and remote routes in England in the winter as many of our roads pass over the high ground of the Yorkshire Dales as well as the North Yorks Moors and this can make travelling treacherous at times. Our winter gritting fleet works highly effectively throughout the winter, but despite our best efforts the weather can change dramatically for the worst in these remote routes and so accurate information about road conditions is essential to inform and keep the travelling public as safe as possible.”

“With the data and images provided by these weather stations we hope the public will be able to make more informed, safer, journey choices during the winter period.”

There is also a weather station on the B6265 at Greenhow.