Charnwood Borough Council - Leading in Leicestershire

The British love to talk about the weather and the possibility of this winter being more severe than in recent years is very real. We have already had a taste of what winter we may have in store with the severe weather conditions in the South West at the end of November. The Met Office’s long term weather forecast for the period December to February has indicated a 67% chance of a colder than average winter for much of Europe. We have to look back to the winter of 1995/96 for an example of these conditions. It is important to note that their forecast also includes a 33% chance that it could be warmer than usual, but as the odds are against that here are a few precautions you might find useful:

Frozen Water

You can read some sensible advice on how to look after your house in a cold snap at: http://www.leicester.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=8560 In addition, the dangers of frozen canals, lakes, ponds and other bodies of water are real and we advise that people should stay off the ice. The ornamental ponds in our parks and gardens are very tempting to the young and present very real hazards. British Waterways has also warned of the dangers near rivers and canals, and has asked that children and dogs are kept well away from the water’s edge.

Roads Maintenance

Leicestershire County Council is responsible for snow clearance and gritting, details of their plans, including maps showing gritted routes, can be found on the County Council's website During heavy snow the County Council has 54 snow ploughs which are fitted to the fleet of salting and construction vehicles. These vehicles are supported by over 50 farmers who are provided with snow ploughs for their powerful four wheel drive tractors. These farmers are strategically located and plough snow from agreed routes. Winter Maintenance supervisors are provided with a database of additional resources available from plant hire and construction companies. Resources are concentrated initially on strategic routes with routes of lesser importance being cleared subsequently.

The County Council’s target is to open all major routes within 24 hours of the end of heavy snowfall. If you are forced to abandon your car in severe weather try to inform the Police by calling 0116 222 2222. You can also obtain up to date road reports from the County Council’s Roadline on 0800 626203

Footpaths and Pavements

Public footpaths and pavements are the responsibility of Leicester County Council Highways and Transport. Their policy in winter weather for pavements is that no precautionary salting is carried out on footways. They will normally only receive treatment at times when ice or snow lying on the footway is likely to persist. Such work shall only be undertaken on the following footways using available resources:

• Main shopping areas
• Adjacent to heavily trafficked roads where the footway has high pedestrian usage
• Outside hospitals, schools and similar locations where there are heavy concentrations of pedestrians
• Outside health clinics, elderly persons dwellings homes for the blind or similar locations where there is above use by the elderly, infirm or disabled.
• On steep gradients (10% or greater)

Winter Advice to the Elderly

This winter has already seen a mix of snow and mild spells but is far from over. Excellent advice for the elderly can be found of the Department of Health website or by reading Keep Warm Keep Well

We recommend that all with responsibilities for the care of the elderly also read these.

Further advice can be obtained from: http://www.preparingforemergencies.gov.uk/ and you can get up to date weather information on: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/

Thought about how you can cut your winter heating bills? See http://www.clear-skies.org/ for advice on how to get grants to a range of heat saving or solar powered heat sources schemes