Cumbria County Council are advising residents to be prepared for whatever winter has in store as the weather is expected to get colder in the coming weeks.
A ‘Winter Ready’ campaign was launched last month with a whole host of information available online offering a one-stop shop for tips, advice, and information on a variety of winter related topics.
Winter Ready 2022 hopes to ensure people have the right information, advice and guidance at their fingertips during the winter months. It has been developed, and is supported by a wide range of partners, including Cumbria County Council, Cumbria’s six district councils, NHS, Cumbria Community Foundation and the Environment Agency.
There are some new top tips from the Met Office on the website that covers:
- What to do if you need to drive somewhere.
- Driving safely in the snow.
- Thinking ahead and acting now, so you can cope if you are cut off
- Staying safe
- What to do in a power cut
The Winter Ready campaign also has key information about:
- Guidance and support available to people regarding Coronavirus.
- Emergency planning – advice on how to protect your home from flooding and find out if you are at risk.
- General health advice – staying well this winter.
- Information and advice about support for the Cost of Living
Councillor Keith Little, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said:
“In recent years, Cumbria has experienced its fair share of severe winter weather, and our Winter Ready web pages provide a one-stop platform for all of our residents, businesses, and visitors. I’d encourage people to take a look at them to ensure they are prepared for winter and know where to go for further information.
“We have a dedicated team of county council staff, who work diligently throughout the winter, often driving on treacherous roads to treat them, to make them safe for us all. In Cumbria, we grit roughly one third of the county’s roads, which does mean that many are untreated and likely to be icy as it simply isn’t possible for the crews to treat our entire network. We treat roads on a priority basis – details of which can be found on our website and treat what many people would class as ‘main roads’. Some smaller ‘B’ and ‘C’ roads and unclassified roads are not treated but do have grit heaps and grit bins for local people to utilise.
“I’d like to stress that people plan their journey and take extra care when driving on untreated roads and drive to road conditions, not the speed limit. Also, in especially icy and snowy conditions, consider if your journey is essential.
“At this time of goodwill, please also keep an eye out for older neighbours and family members who might be more vulnerable and unable to get out and about.”
