Warwickshire News Mine

It has set up a dedicated winter information site – http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/snow - which provides links to the latest information about how the weather is affecting Warwickshire.

From here, residents can check on a variety of services including gritting – teams have been very busy keeping the county’s main roads clear, especially in the south of the county which has experienced the worst of the weather.

Critical adult services have not been affected – four-by-fours are being used in areas where snowfall has been at its heaviest, but the majority of day centres have had to close. Service updates are available on the website.  People are urged to check on their vulnerable neighbours who may be having trouble getting out.

The latest library opening information is also detailed there - some services have been affected because of the weather.

While the county’s schools have closed for the Christmas holidays as usual, residents can check any closures in the New Year through the county council snow website and then follow the links to http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/schoolclosures or http://www.twitter.com/wccschoolclosed.

Elsewhere, as temperatures are set to remain below freezing for some days to come, the county’s fire service is reminding residents to take extra care when using portable gas and electric heaters, or when lighting coal fires which have been unused for a number of months. Householders should also ensure that chimneys are swept in accordance with national guidelines.

In addition, fire crews are warning children and young people of the dangers of playing near frozen lakes because of the risk of falling in to icy water.

Meanwhile the council is providing vulnerable and older people with advice from Warwickshire’s Warm and Well campaign to help safeguard themselves at this time of year.
The campaign highlights a number of simple steps to follow:
• Keep internal doors closed to stop draughts
• Have at least one hot meal and hot drinks throughout the day
• Layer up - many layers of clothing are best
• Close curtains at dusk
• Ensure your heating is 21°C in your home
• Keep your heating on overnight
• Ensure your home is well insulated and your boiler is serviced
• Contact your energy supplier about social tariffs or priority register schemes.

Residents can visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/keepwarm for more information and to download the Winter Warmth Leaflet.

Cllr Alan Farnell, Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: “Residents can rest-assured that the county council and its staff are working tirelessly to ensure essential services in Warwickshire continue to operate.

“I urge people to take note of this information to help ensure they stay safe during the cold snap.”

For the latest service related information this winter visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/snow or for real-time updates on twitter visit http://www.twitter.com/warksdirect.

Link to WCC