In light of the adverse weather conditions over the Christmas period, and with more bad weather forecasted, Merton Council would like to issue some personal safety advice to help people combat the cold.

Inevitably, the people most prone to fall victim of severe weather conditions are motorists, so we would like to advise individuals of the simple measures to take if they do happen to venture out in their car.

They are:

Ensure lights are clean and working
Check screen washers and wipers
Make sure you have antifreeze in your radiator
Keep windows clean inside and out
De-ice and clean mirrors
Inflate tyres to the correct pressure and ensure they have plenty of tread
Check the weather forecast before you go and ask yourself if your journey is really necessary
Allow extra time for your journey and reduce your speed

Remember – extra caution is needed when driving in bad weather.

For more general health orientated information on keeping warm and well in cold weather, you can call the Winter Warmth advice line on 0800 085 7000 from 08.00am to 8.00pm between Monday to Friday.

Alternatively you can access the Keep Warm Keep Well winter guide booklet by searching under the booklet title on the Department of Health web site http://www.doh.gov.uk