Casual Highways Operative - Skilled

Lancashire County Council; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 12,000 - 28,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Out-of-hours standby pay

Job summary

Lancashire County Council is recruiting for casual Highways Operatives to support the winter gritting service across Burnley and Whalley Depots. The role requires holding a valid Class 2 licence and involves 12-hour standby patterns, mainly in the evening, with on-call duties during winter months.

Standby shifts run one week in three, with most treatments during December to February. Enhanced pay applies for out‑of‑hours work and standby service participation is included.

Qualifications

• Must hold a valid Class 2 licence.
• Winter gritting driver role with standby shifts.
• Casual hours with on-call requirements during winter season.

Responsibilities

• Standby duties on a 12-hour shift pattern during winter maintenance.
• Drive precautionary gritting routes and respond to weather‑driven decisions.
• Be available for on-call 7 consecutive 12‑hour night shifts during standby week.

Skills

Class 2 Licence

Job description

Job Description| Salary £14.59 per hour | Casual hours | Casual Highways Operative | Burnley and Whalley Highway Depots

We are currently looking for additional drivers to support the delivery of our winter gritting service for the coming 2026/27 season.

Our winter maintenance standby arrangements operate from mid-October through to the end of April, with the majority of activity taking place during December, January and February. Drivers are placed on a 12-hour standby shift pattern, predominantly covering evening operations. Most precautionary gritting routes take approximately three hours to complete, although during significant snowfall events drivers may be required for the full 12-hour standby period.

We required anyone interested to hold a valid Class 2 licence, all additional winter driver training would be provided by ourselves.

For information, I have attached an example rota and supporting information to provide an overview of how the standby arrangements operate.

Standby duties are generally undertaken on a one-week-in-three rotation. However, driving requirements are dependent upon forecasted winter maintenance decisions, so there is no guarantee of the number of hours worked. During their standby week, drivers are on call for seven consecutive 12-hour night shifts, from Friday to Friday, operating between 6:00pm and 6:00am. While treatment actions may be required at any point during this period, our most common precautionary treatment time is 6:00pm.

Following this, drivers provide daytime standby cover over the subsequent weekend between 6:00am and 6:00pm.

Winter maintenance actions are generally based on weather forecasts. A morning update is issued by our Winter Decision Maker indicating the likelihood of treatment being required. Formal decisions are then made based on updated lunchtime forecasts and communicated to supervisors and drivers shortly afterwards. Although most treatments are planned in advance, there are occasions when action may be required at short notice at any time during the standby period. Drivers must therefore be available to respond promptly when called upon.

Each treatment typically lasts around three hours, excluding vehicle checks, loading, and post-treatment duties. During prolonged periods of severe winter weather, treatments may extend across the full 12-hour standby shift. Drivers would not be continually driving during this time but would remain based at the gritting depot and undertake multiple treatments as required.

For informal discussion, please contact Matthew Holmes, Operations Manager 01772 538169 [e-mail]

In addition to the advertised salary, this role offers enhanced pay for out of hours working and includes participation in an out of hours standby service, for which a standby/retainer payment is provided.

J ob Description and Person Specification