About Us

About NWSRG

Purpose of NWSRG

The NWSRG is a members group dedicated to advancing understanding of best practice for winter service delivery, taking the best from currently available knowledge and supplementing any gaps with new knowledge and research. 

Following the recommendations set out in the independent report, commissioned by DfT, “The Resilience of England’s Transport Systems in Winter often referred to as the “Quarmby Report” , the NWSRG Steering Group is now a Technical Sub-Group of the UK Roads Board. In turn this is part of the UK Roads Liaison Group family of organisations. The NWSRG Steering Group comprises of members elected by the NWSRG membership and other invitees from the public sector representing national interests. Thus the NWSRG provides oversight  and liaison for the development of guidance and new knowledge for the UK public roads sector.

Funding

The NWSRG is funded by annual subscriptions from local authorities and UK national governments, as well as by submitting bids for the financing of specific projects to a wide range of different organisations. It is the successor to the NSSRG (the National Salt Spreading Research Group) and its Members come from across the whole of the UK, representing both large and small highway and road authorities, as well as the organisations that assist in the delivery of the winter service. One of the great strengths of the NWSRG is that the wide range of Industry Associates involved with the group possess in-depth and extensive experience of winter service matters in Europe and elsewhere across the globe, as well as in all regions of the UK.

Current officers

Chair (Interim) – Carol Valentine, Kent County Council
Vice Chair (Interim) – Iain Macdonald, Transport Scotland
Secretary – David Denner, Welsh Government
Technical Advisor – Adrian Runacres
Admin Support – Cheryl Brown, IHE

Composition of the Group

Members - who contribute funds, experience, information and direction
Industry Associates - who provide experience, information and practical support
Consultants - who provide experience and develop new knowledge - delivering the work
Members are generally road owners and operators for the UK public roads network. Thus UK Local Authorities along with National Government bodies and their Agencies make up the majority of the membership. Only members have voting rights to ensure independence of published work
Industry Associates are manufacturers, material and equipment suppliers and suppliers of services engaged in the winter service industry. Industry Associates may contribute equipment, materials and experience to individual elements of the work programme.
Consultants carry out the work for the NWSRG. They are instructed by the NWSRG Steering Group and Working Groups are formed for individual elements of delivery. TRL Ltd. act as the principal consultant for NWSRG and subcontract work to other consultants on the instructions of the Steering Group.

Current Programme

The current programme of NWSRG research is aimed at producing a comprehensive Guide to provide practitioners with practical guidance in all aspects of setting up and delivering their winter service.

Sections of the Guide have already been issued relating to the following topics:

Salt storage and moisture content
Spreader calibration and performance monitoring
Precautionary spread rates
Treatments for Snow and Ice
Treatments for Extreme Cold

Useful Links & Downloads:

Discover NWSRG

Contact Us

  • nwsrg@theihe.org