Winter road gritting to be reduced? Have your say!

South Glos Council is consulting about which roads should be salted and gritted during icy weather - it's yet another "saving" they have identified to help cope with the reduction in grant funding received from central government.

They are proposing to reduce their fleet from 11 gritters to 9, and take 30 km of roads off the list that are salted when freezing conditions seem likely.

In our area Claypit Hill, part of Dodington Road, Gibbs Lane and Sodbury Lane would no longer be gritted.

Other nearby roads include Park lane and Perrinpit Road (Frampton Cotterell), Tormarton Road / Shire Hill / part of Marshfield Road and Ashwicke Road / St Martins Lane (Marshfield and Tormarton) and Old Down Road (Badminton)

The consultation is open until 18 June. There will be a drop-in sessions with StreetCare staff in the meeting room at Yate Outdoor Sports Complex, Broad Lane, Yate, Bristol, BS37 7LB, from 15:00 to 17:00 on Wednesday 2nd May.

You can read more and have your say on the consultation here

Severe weather, school closures, waste and recycling changes etc

With snow due for the rest of today and Friday, you can find out the latest information on local services and get other cold weather advice on the South Glos Council website. This includes links to school closures.

Rubbish, waste and recycling

South Glos say: "Waste and recycling collections will not take place on Friday 2 March due to snow and ice. Please return your bins and containers to your property until your next normal collection. For recycling next collection is Friday 9 March, please present any extra recycling. Black bin waste and garden bins will be collected Friday 16 March. Up to two bags of non recyclable waste left next to your black bin will also be collected on Friday 16 March. All four Sort It Centres will also be closed from 2pm Thursday 1 March until 8.30am Sunday 4 March"


Libraries

All libraries will be closing at 5pm on Thursday 1 March.

Individual library opening times are available online and may be subject to change during periods of severe weather. You can also check for any latest updates from the libraries homepage.

DANGER - Ice likely on Rodford Way tonight

We've just seen a Wessex Water van releasing large amounts of water onto Rodford Way eastbound near the Sundridge Park / Shire Way junction.

If it freezes tonight it could become very dangerous.

We don't know whether they have been doing the same anywhere else in the area. Take care!

Nibley Lane closed 6.30pm Sat 4 Feb, accident on M4, Yate local roads treacherous

We've just seen that the police have closed Nibley Lane between Westerleigh Rd and Badminton Rd. Don't know why - accident or ice?

The police website is showing an accident a few minutes ago on the M4 westbound between Tormarton and Hambrook, but from the map location it's near the Tormarton junction. (Update 6.55pm - police say accident now cleared)

And from our own experience the local roads in Yate are very treacherous. Yate is a LOT colder than the Bristol fringe - the temperature fell 5 deg C in the first mile coming away from Emerson's Green.

Nibley Lane closed

Nibley Lane has been closed both ways except for access between Westerleigh Rd and Badminton Rd due to ice.

Don't be put off clearing snow and ice

Last winter there were reports in the media that people were put off clearing snow and ice for fear of being sued if someone later fell. The Government has tried to reassure the public - you can find their advice online.

Up to 1.7m pensioners will miss out on Cold Weather Payments - Steve Webb

Up to 1.7m pensioners will miss out on Cold Weather Payments triggered by the recent weather, according to analysis of Government figures by the Liberal Democrats.

Cold Weather Payments of £25 a week are paid to people on low incomes who receive a qualifying benefit, such as Pension Credit, which goes unclaimed by as many as 1.7m pensioners.

Commenting on the Liberal Democrats website, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said:

“It is a scandal that pensioners on the breadline are missing out on these payments, worth an estimated £42.5m.

“Fuel prices are at an all time high, making Cold Weather Payments all the more important to people already struggling on a poverty pension.

“Labour has failed pensioners by creating a complicated system that makes it difficult for them to get the help they desperately need.

“The Government should be making every effort to identify pensioners who are missing out and get them this extra cash.”

Thin ice warning

Children and young people have been seen walking on the ice at Kingsgate Park Lake, Yate.

The ice is very thin, and an unexpected fall into icy water can be fatal even if it's shallow.

Parents, please warn your children about this.