The Parish Council have received the following information about the severe weather warning, from Hampshire County Council…
With a forecast of heavy rain tomorrow turning to snow, followed by a deep freeze overnight on Thursday (12 January) into the weekend, highways crews are getting ready to deploy to keep the county moving.
The weather coming towards the South East is certainly going to be a challenge. Heavy rain tomorrow morning, turning to sleet and then to snow at rush hour, followed by a high risk of ice for the next few days means that timing of salting runs is crucial, and the impact of salt may not be as effective as usual due to dilution from the rain.
Winter crews have already deployed putting out salt wicks (porous bags filled with salt) at locations where water is likely to run onto the roads from surrounding land so that the when water runs through them, it mixes with the salt which then helps prevent ice forming on the road surface.
We have a good stock of salt in our barns strategically placed across the county, and the next salt run on Priority 1 routes is scheduled for 5am tomorrow. To combat the risk of salt being washed away, salt will be spread more densely than usual which means the salting lorries will need to restock during their runs and it will therefore take around four hours to complete each route. If we do see the 5cm of snow that forecasters are predicting, we will also be deploying snow ploughs. The 100+ farmers we can mobilise to assist in rural locations have been alerted. Additionally, we are planning to salt the community routes in the early hours of Friday morning to help with access to community facilities such as doctors’ surgeries and smaller schools.
HCC’s message to the public and staff is to take care on the roads and drive according to the conditions, even on the roads that have been salted,
People will need to plan their journeys and may need to think about adapting their travelling times.
Footways are also likely to be icy, and everyone can help in their neighbourhoods by using the salt bins. Spreading a small amount of salt from the community salt bins on pavements or smaller access roads not covered by the highways crews will make a big impact on ice and frozen snow.
Residents, particularly those in rural areas are also being asked to look out for vulnerable neighbours during the cold weather.
Taking extra care during cold weather is important for everyone, but particularly important for people who are more vulnerable to suffering ill health due to the cold, such as babies and very young children (under 5 years), older people (75+ years), people with pre-existing medical conditions.
If anyone is worried about an elderly neighbour or relative they should call Hampshire County Council’s Adult’s Health and Care team on 0300 555 1386, during the week in working hours, or call 0300 555 1373 out of hours and on weekends and Bank Holidays.
Find out more tips and hints on safe winter driving at RoSPA
Further information on severe weather and emergency contacts