With more snow forecast over the coming days, Merton Council’s dedicated teams of gritters, carers, social workers and refuse collectors are working all hours to keep the borough moving and ensure essential services are delivered to residents.
The council’s cabinet member for environment and leisure services, Councillor David Simpson, was out with one of the gritting teams this morning lending a helping hand, keeping one of our main pavements clear of ice and snow.
Gritting teams continue to work around the clock having spread over 800 tonnes of grit since the cold weather started at the end of November. So far they have made 30 outings. For every trip, the gritters cover approximately 175km of the borough’s roads and clear and grit about 124km of Merton’s most used pavements following any build-up of snow.
To date, all rubbish and recycling collections are still going ahead, but collections may take a little longer than usual. If Merton experiences heavy snowfall, street cleansing crews are being deployed to grit footways. Merton’s care homes and libraries are all currently open. Most of the borough’s schools are also open.
Up-to-date information on the council’s winter maintenance programme and services potentially affected by the snow including adult social care, adult education, waste collections and school closures, can be found on the homepage of the council website: http://www.merton.gov.uk The latest Met Office weather reports are also listed.
Councillor David Simpson said: ‘While out with one of our gritting teams this morning, the dedication of our front line staff was all too clear to see. Working in difficult circumstances and all hours of the day, they are ensuring our main roads and pavements are as safe as possible for drivers and pedestrians. I appreciate that not all roads are gritted, but we have to prioritise which roads and pavements to grit so as to ensure the least possible disruption.
“A big thank you goes to all our gritters, refuse collectors, carers, teachers and the numerous council staff who are continuing to deliver vital services to Merton’s residents. The snow provides fun for many, but for the more vulnerable people in our society it can cause problems, so I would urge everyone to look out for their neighbours and check they have enough food at home and are warm and looked after.”
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