BOSSES have come up with a novel idea to keep Glasgow roads ice-free this winter ... by spraying them with thick syrup.

The city's roads chiefs bosses will be the first in Scotland to use a special mix of molasses and rock salt on major routes, pavements, tunnels and bridges.

The unusual mix is called Safecote and there are high hopes its use will help minimise the damage caused to road surfaces by the salt usually used by gritting teams.

Roads chief George Gillespie said: "We are trialling Safecote on road bridges because it is a mixture of rock salt coated in a molasses derivative, which is less corrosive than rock salt on its own."

He added: "I believe we will be the first local authority in Scotland to trial this substance."

Council chiefs say they will also adopt a more traditional method of of tackling the worst of the winter to try to keep motorists and pedestrians on the move.

Large quantities of ethylene glycol - antifreeze - will also be used on footbridges over the busy M8 and on the approach roads to the Clyde Tunnel.

The city council has a gritting fleet of 62 lorries, with a combined capacity to carry 220 tonnes of salt.

They will be on standby around-the-clock and will be mobilised during any cold snaps.

City-wide gritting operations will also include a squad of more than 200 council workers and another 240 from the private sector to help keep roads and pavements clear of ice and snow.

Staff on standby for bad weather conditions include a team of 114 roads maintenance staff, more than 100 parks and cleansing operators, as well as eight private contractors with around 30 staff each.

The revelation that syrup will be a vital ingredient in preventing Glasgow coming to a standstill this winter comes just a few weeks after the Evening Times told how pre-wetted salt would be used for the first time on motorways in and around the city.

Highway bosses at Amey are to use a special mixture of salt and brine, which they claim will stick to the road surface a lot better and quicker than traditional dry salt.

They say it may seem to motorists as though their crews are gritting motorways with liquid but insist the solution is not only safer but more environmentally friendly because it uses less salt.