As always, we’re all hoping for the best but planning for the worst case scenarios of snow, ice, gales, or whatever may come our way.
We want to make sure we have all the arrangements in place to help us all deal with poor conditions and be able to get about with minimum disruption.
We have a very well maintained fleet of gritters and lots of hardworking volunteers from Streetscene who step in to drive the gritters.
We have 10 gritting routes along with 7,500 tonnes of grit which is topped up each time we grit the roads.
We also have plans in place to cover extended periods of severe weather which includes plans to grit housing estates (where it’s safe to do so) before bin collections and to keep areas such as sheltered accommodation and school routes as clear and as safe as possible.
“To grit or not to grit in winter?”
This is the question faced several times a day by our experienced supervisors. To grit too soon may mean it gets washed away by rain. Too late – and you could be in for a slippy ride.
If you want to know if the gritters are going out you can keep an eye on our Twitter account – or watch out for #wxmgrit.
We also send out reminders via the MyUpdates system which emails updates directly to subscribers.
When very poor weather is expected or we are experiencing a particularly long bout of cold, freezing weather we’ll keep you updated about where to find information including bin collections and school closures via this blog, our website at www.wrexham.gov.uk and our social media accounts so please keep an eye on them.
???? Remember to check your vehicle before you go out during or before poor weather. The Met Office has some excellent advice but always remember to allow extra time for your journey and stay safe.
Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We’re as ready as we can be and drivers have already been checking their gritting routes to make sure they’re aware of any potential problems. We value this service and we want to ensure that we keep everybody moving and safe during adverse weather which is essential to the local economy. Please take extra care during the winter and look out for alerts and weather advice and take all necessary action.”
“Help where you can”
Please also look out for your elderly relatives or vulnerable neighbours. Poor weather can mean they face greater difficulties when carrying out every day basic tasks such as shopping for essentials. Please offer help where you can – it could make all the difference to someone who can’t get out on their own.
Cllr Joan Lowe, lead Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said: “Cllr Joan Lowe, lead Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said: “We all struggle during bad weather with transport and day to day tasks so imagine what it must be like for someone who has poor mobility and cannot get out at all.
“We’re also in difficult social distancing times and being unable to enter someone else’s property so please consider how you can help with tasks such as essential shopping or picking up prescriptions. Please don’t underestimate just how much of a difference you could make by helping with delivering shopping or just by making a phone call to have a quick chat.”
Download the Covid-19 NHS app…and help keep Wrexham safe this autumn.
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