THIRTY two new jobs are to be created by a York firm after winning a £500,000 deal to carry out winter maintenance on the region's water works.

Yorkshire Water has signed up winter maintenance firm Ice Watch in a two-year deal to carry out gritting and snow clearing services to more tahn 120 of its top operational sites across the region.

The deal, which will create 32 seasonal maintenance jobs throughout Yorkshire, will ensure that Yorkshire Water’s estate of water treatment works, pumping stations and reservoirs are kept free of ice and snow so operational work can continue throughout the winter.

Popular pathways will also be gritted so visitors can continue to safely venture around scenic spots.

Michelle Lovewell, emergency planning technician at Yorkshire Water, said: "This new contract will create local jobs and ensure that we are prepared in case of extreme winter weather.

"We have a lot of infrastructure located in isolated parts of the region that are prone to bad weather so this will ensure we can continue to access them and carry out our vital day-to-day operations."

Ensuring road access to key sites will mean chemicals can continue to be transported to water treatment works and sludge can be exported by articulated lorries from waste water treatment works.

Andrew Henry, business manager at Ice Watch said: "We are delighted to have been selected by Yorkshire Water as their winter maintenance partner.

"Yorkshire Water presented their unique requirement, which has many challenges, not least the vast area that is covered and the diverse topography of the region."

As part of the contract, Ice Watch’s trained meteorologists will monitor the weather and provide forecasts to Yorkshire Water.

They have already predicted severe winter weather is forecast this winter due to the powerful ‘El Nino’ phenomenon that is building up in the Atlantic ocean. Six years ago the last El Nino brought sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow to Britain and it is expected this year’s El Nino will have a similar effect.

Yorkshire Water manages the collection, treatment and distribution of water in the region, supplying around 1.24 billion litres of drinking water to more than five million people every day. It operates a network of more than 700 treatment works, 130 reservoirs and 62,000 miles of mains to transport water around the whole county.