Community Meals team brave the bad weather to deliver meals to Wiltshire residents

Swindon's Community Meals team will battle their way through the snowy conditions today to deliver food to 150 vulnerable people across Wiltshire.

Drivers from the service set off from its depot off Gypsy Lane this morning and will deliver meals to customers throughout the Borough of Swindon and in places as far away as Box, Chippenham, Calne and Bromham.

The meals, which are provided by Swindon Borough Council's Enterprise Works, were cooked and prepared first thing this morning and were packed into vans and dispatched across five routes.

Enterprise Works provides valuable skills and work experience for people who have faced difficulties in entering employment due to physical or mental disabilities.

The major incident that was declared across Wiltshire yesterday following the extreme weather remains in place and last night the Council's Highways crews continued to plough and grit the main routes across the Borough.

So far more than 1,100 miles of carriageway have been ploughed or gritted over the last few days. 

Although the main routes within Swindon are passable with care, many of the rural routes remain challenging and motorists are urged to drive carefully and to only travel if it absolutely necessary.

The A346 between Swindon and Marlborough remains closed as is the A4361 between Wroughton and Avebury. The Council's crews will attempt to clear Salthrop Hill this afternoon. Priors Hill, some roads around Foxhill and Badbury Road are also badly affected due to snow drifts over the last two days.

Temperatures are set to rise and showers are expected to push up from the south this afternoon and into the evening, which may turn to sleet.

Residents are encouraged to stay safe and make sure they are prepared.

When the temperature drops, some people are at increased risk of developing serious health conditions, falls and injuries. The Council is encouraging people to keep warm and well, aiming for temperatures of 18C indoors, to eat more fruit and vegetables and to keep active.

For up-to-date information on council services during the cold weather you can follow the Council on Twitter @swindonnews or on Facebook by searching ‘Swindon Borough Council’.

Waste and recycling collections

All of yesterday's household waste and recycling collections were suspended. Black wheelie bins and blue bags can be re-presented for 6.30am on Monday and left out as crews will endeavour to collect before the next scheduled collection. Recycling boxes, plastics and garden waste will be collected on the next collection date, although excess recycling will be collected provided it is sorted into suitable, sturdy containers - one for paper/card and one for glass/cans/foil/aerosols. Garden waste crews will help collect black bin waste next week to catch up with the backlog so the garden waste service will not be running until later in the week.

Household Waste Recycling Centres 

The Household Waste Recycling Centre in Cheney Manor industrial estate has now reopened. Please follow guidance on driving to the site and check the tip webcam to make sure the centre is open.

Schools

All schools in Swindon were closed yesterday. Please check school websites and listen to local radio for updates on plans for Monday.

Transport and travel

Our eight gritters are on standby to spread salt and plough the main routes if required. For more information about gritting and road closures, including which roads are gritted, visit the Council’s website.

Further updates will also be available on Wiltshire Police's Twitter page @wiltshirepolice

The Council’s Tree Team are also on standby to clear any fallen trees as a result of snow. Local bus company websites will have the latest information on bus services.

Rough sleepers

The Council has already implemented the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol for rough sleepers and there are a number of beds available for those that need them. So far accommodation has been found for 42 individuals and help was offered to a further six people who refused help. The Council will accommodate anyone who presents themselves as homeless and will use additional accommodation such as B&Bs and hotels if needed. People can alert the Council to rough sleepers in need of support by visiting www.streetlink.org.uk

Libraries

Central Library will be open all day today. West Swindon Library, Wroughton and Pine Trees Library were open today until 1pm and North Swindon Library is open until 4pm today. All other libraries are closed including Park and Highworth, where there is no extended access. There will be extended library access at Central Library, West Swindon Library and North Swindon Library today until 6pm. Central Library will be open  tomorrow. There will be extended access between 8am and 6pm at Central, West Swindon and North Swindon libraries. There will be no extended access tomorrow at Highworth or Park libraries.

Council housing

Although weather conditions are bad, the Council and its partners are doing everything possible to attend to housing repairs and are giving priority to vulnerable and elderly customers. So far almost 150 heating systems have been repaired by the Council’s repairs team.

Customers are advised to expect some potential delays, especially on routine non-urgent jobs but to be assured that repair teams will attend as soon as possible.

Abandoned cars

Motorists who may have been forced to leave their cars in Swindon Borough Council-owned car parks or by the side of the road due to the bad weather will not be issued with parking tickets