Boulby mine near Whitby helps to beat the area's wintry weather

As the first serious spate of freezing winter weather arrives, ICL Boulby near Whitby is making a major contribution to help keep the country moving.
Local authority vehicles loading up salt at ICL Boulby to help keep the country moving.Local authority vehicles loading up salt at ICL Boulby to help keep the country moving.
Local authority vehicles loading up salt at ICL Boulby to help keep the country moving.

The mine is one of the main producers of rock salt which is vital to helping keep roads open.

It is responsible for supplying around half of the nation’s need for de-icing material to local authorities and highway contractors.

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Without the salt from Boulby, the UK would almost certainly have to rely on imports from other countries.

ICL Boulby Vice President Andrew Fulton said: “We have been mining rock salt for over 40 years and we pride ourselves on the contribution we make to keeping the traffic moving each winter.

“Obviously a lot of our supplies go to major routes such as the A1M, A19 and the A66, but it’s also vital to treating local roads to keep people moving in our own area.”

The salt mined at ICL Boulby was deposited over 225 million years ago, when ancient seas evaporated, leaving the substance behind.