Council put plans in place as Met Office issue weather warning for snow and ice

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for possible ice and snow in South Wales with the alert including Bridgend County Borough.

Plans have been put in place by the council to deal with the impact of potential disruption and residents are advised to visit the council’s website and social media channels to keep up to date with the latest developments.

If a head teacher decides that a school will not be able to open, they will ensure that pupils, parents and carers are informed as early as possible via their usual communication methods. The council’s dedicated school closures page will also be updated.

The council stores more than 5,000 tonnes of salt in preparation and has plans in place for replenishing stocks during bouts of severe winter weather.  

When temperatures drop, the council pre-treats the most-used parts of the road network with granulated rock salt to prevent frost and ice forming and can call upon a number of specially designed vehicles such as gritters to keep roads clear.

Once snow has fallen, routes have to be cleared with ploughs before they can be treated. For pedestrian areas, the council uses specialist equipment which help to melt ice, and workers also clear snow by hand and use snow blowers.

Before the start of each winter season, the bins are filled with a mix of salt and sharp sand which is available for use by residents and motorists to make it easier to travel through local streets when conditions deteriorate. 

Council staff work around the clock, often in terrible conditions, to provide services to keep the county borough moving as safely as possible. The council has plans in place for frontline services such as Homecare or kerbside recycling and refuse collections and will issue specific information about such services depending on how severe and prolonged conditions are expected to be.

There are many reasons why a head teacher may consider it necessary to close a school during severe weather, and it doesn’t always require heavy snowfall for this to happen. Sometimes, a school may not be able to open because of frozen pipes which may have burst, or because staff may not have been able to travel in from other areas where the snow has been heavier. A closure is always a last resort, and such a decision will always be taken with the best interests of pupils in mind.

In situations where a closure is necessary, the authority aims to return to resume normal service as soon as it is safe to do so.

Councillor Huw David, Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council

For further details, residents are advised to visit the council’s winter weather webpage, which offers plenty of advice and useful information including answers to frequently asked questions.