Mild August weather has saved the Dunedin City Council thousands of dollars on its road gritting and de-icing bill.
About 1.3 tonnes of grit was spread on roads in the wider city area during two days in August, almost 300 tonnes less than usual for the month.
DCC senior contract supervisor Peter Hughes said the council spread an average of 800 to 1000 tonnes of grit around the city each winter, at a cost of between $100,000 and $180,000.
In addition, it usually spent $70,000-$80,000 on a de-icing agent which it sprayed on roads.
This winter, about 800 tonnes of grit had been spread, mainly in June and July when Dunedin roads were icy on 15 to 20 days in each month.
The final cost of this winter's operation was still being confirmed, Mr Hughes said.
The council had done "quite a lot less" de-icing than expected, so leftover agent would be kept for next winter, he said.
The cost of gritting roads included buying and spreading the grit, as well as clearing it off roads once weather improved.
In general, the same roads needed de-icing or gritting each year, although it varied slightly depending on the weather, he said.
The council looked after roads in and around Dunedin, Mosgiel, Fairfield, Green Island, Port Chalmers, Aramoana and parts of the Taieri, as well as up to Shiel Hill on the Otago Peninsula.
