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Photos: Satellites free the roads from snow and ice
Motorway gritters given a helping hand…

By Nick Heath

Published: Wednesday 09 April 2008

Satellites are spying on the Welsh roads to keep them free of ice for motorists. The cutting-edge Masternaut Three X telematics system allows a control centre - pictured above - to track 20 gritter lorries that keep a 178km stretch of the M4 motorway in South Wales clear of snow and ice.

From the control centre The South Wales Trunk Road Agency (SWTRA) managers can deploy gritters from depots, track their movements and even record rates and densities of salt on the road surfaces.

Photo credit: SWTRA