Gritters, handwashing and vaccinations - Wakefield Council issues winter advice for 2020

Should severe winter affect the district, the council’s priority will be to keep the main roads moving and ensure that essential services stay open.

A fleet of 14 state-of-the-art gritters are ready to disperse 4,700 tonnes of grit from the annual store to treat all A and B roads, steep main roads to villages, housing or industrial estates and roads leading to main hospitals and large schools.

The roads the Council grits are used by more than 90 per cent of all the traffic in the district. On average, people are never more than 400 metres away from a treated route.

Teams are on-call around the clock, to monitor the weather and get the gritting teams out when they are needed – day or night. There are 340 grit bins across the district and these will be restocked over the winter, as needed.

If people have to travel by car during these conditions, the advice is to plan ahead and keep up-to-date with the weather. The Council’s gritting updates are available on Twitter using #WakeyWinter.

Residents are being asked to volunteer as Snow Wardens, to help keep pavements and areas around their homes clear of snow and ice. Snow Wardens will be asked to join forces to help their neighbours and more vulnerable citizens who can’t help themselves by clearing pavements, drives and local streets whilst the Council focuses on its priority routes.

Coun Matthew Morley, Cabinet Member for Planning and Highways at Wakefield Council, said: “This team of volunteers do an excellent job in supporting their local communities, helping their neighbours and vulnerable residents, and their combined efforts make a great contribution to the whole of our district. If you are able to come and join our army of Snow Wardens, please get in touch.”

To sign up to become a Snow Warden call 0345 8 506 506 or go to www.wakefield.gov.uk/winter

Health advice

Residents are also being asked to follow the latest government guidance to help reduce the spread of Covid-19. The advice is to:

Maintain regular handwashing.

Wear a face covering, if you can, in any enclosed public space.

Maintain social distancing, wherever possible.

Avoid any hugging or close contact with anyone outside your household.

Avoid car sharing with anyone outside your household.

Act now, isolate and get tested if showing symptoms of a high temperature, new continuous cough or loss of taste or smell.

To book a test visit www.nhs.uk/coronavirus, or call 119. Or the local testing service is available from Monday to Friday and bookings for appointments can be made at www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 01924 224497

A Covid-19 vaccine has been approved for use in the UK, which will be offered to those most at risk of COVID-19 first, starting with people living in care homes and those over 80 years old. The NHS will contact you when it’s the right time to come forward. Please do not contact your GP practice for more information or to seek a vaccine before then as it may stop someone who needs urgent medical help getting through.

People are also asked to check on older and disabled neighbours and family members who may need extra support in the cold weather.

Opening times for pharmacies, GP practices and shops should also be checked, to ensure people have the medicines they need over the festive period.

Coun Faith Heptinstall, Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing at Wakefield Council, said: “This has been a very challenging year as we have all had to deal with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“On top of this, for those who have health conditions, or who are older, winter means they may be more susceptible to ill health. We want to encourage everyone to look after themselves and this includes taking up the offer of a free flu jab if you are eligible.”

The flu vaccination is also free for pregnant women, people over 65-years-old and people with certain long-term illnesses, those in a long-stay residential care facility and carers.

For further advice people are advised to speak to their GP, practice nurse or pharmacist, or read Public Health England’s flu vaccination leaflet.

For more information about winter health visit www.wakefield.gov.uk/seasonalhealth

Anybody worried about someone’s safety should contact Social Care Direct on 0345 8 503 503.

Support for rough sleepers

The council is part of the Street Support network for rough sleepers. Find out how to give or get help at www.streetsupport.net/wakefield

Services to resolve rough sleeping exist throughout the year and help can be sourced by making a referral to the Rough Sleeper Support Service on 01924 385722 or RC&[email protected] or by the national website Streetlink (www.streetlink.org.uk) which connects rough sleepers to local services.