Swansea Council says staff will be ready to help keep people safe and moving during the cold snap.
The Council has reviewed its winter maintenance arrangements while taking account the experiences of last winter and says it’s prepared to deal with problems caused by sub-zero temperatures.
In an average year Swansea Council has a pre-season gritting salt stock of 1,500 tonnes but this year the Authority has 2,800 tonnes with a further 500 tonnes to be delivered by the middle of December.
This is enough salt for 12 and half days of continuous gritting and an additional 500 tonnes is also being made available to the Council at their supplier’s emergency stockpile for immediate delivery as required.
The preparations mean the Council will grit 500km of main roads whenever conditions necessitate it. This equates to 44 per cent of Swansea’s main road network and is among the highest in Wales.
Swansea Council is also intending to introduce two secondary routes this winter for daytime gritting in severe conditions.
The Authority is filling every grit bin on adopted highways and three gritters have been replaced to improve reliability and safety. All requests for bins are continuing to be assessed through a new scoring system to prioritise the areas most in need.
Cllr John Hague, Swansea Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “The public can rest assured that our staff will be out and about gritting roads to help keep people safe and moving whenever it’s needed.
“Last winter was especially harsh but we’ve taken our experiences on board and this is why we’ve got nearly twice our usual level of pre-season gritting salt in stock for the coming season.”
The Council is also giving out tips to older people across Swansea to help keep them warm, well and safe this winter.
Some of the tips are to ensure you have a sufficient supply of winter fuels, to make sure your home is well-insulated and to stay active because even housework helps blood circulation.
Other tips include storing at least a two-week supply of food, to keep in contact with friends and neighbours and to make sure boilers and fires are regularly serviced.
Information on school closures will be found at www.swansea.gov.uk/education or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/swanseacouncil or Facebook at www.facebook.com/swanseacitycouncil
Call 01792 636519 if you need any help from Social Services or 01792 775501 on night-times and weekends or during emergencies.
