Staying warm and well In cold temperatures

With a yellow warning for snow in place, and below freezing temperatures expected for much of this week, Public Health England has issued a cold weather alert until Friday with severe wintry conditions and very cold weather expected to continue.

Cold weather can have a serious impact on health, particularly for older people and those with heart and lung problems. During this cold snap, check in on frail or older relatives or neighbours; make a call or a socially distanced doorstep visit if they live close by.

Advice from Public Health England includes:

• Heating homes to at least 18 Celsius. If people can't heat all the rooms they use, it's important to heat the living room during the day and the bedroom just before going to sleep
• Wearing a few thin layers is better at trapping heat than wearing one thick layer
• Plenty of hot food and drinks will help people stay warm
• For people struggling to afford heating bills, Simple Energy Advice (www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk or 0800 444202) provides free advice on energy efficiency and national grants

The Council's gritting crews are out spreading salt on roads across the Borough. The Council will be closely monitoring the weather and road temperatures, with gritting crews on standby 24/7 to go out and spread salt at the best time, to have the most impact.

With low levels of traffic currently using the roads due to the national lockdown, gritting is unfortunately less effective than normal as there are far fewer vehicles around to 'traffic in' the salt by crushing and spreading it across the road surface.

Cllr Charles Royden, Portfolio Holder for Highways said "We are seeing unprecedented cold temperatures locally with wind chill making it feel much colder, and road surface temperatures expected to drop to well below freezing.

"If you can do so safely, check in on older or vulnerable relatives and neighbours with a call or socially distanced doorstep visit and make sure they are OK and are staying warm and well.

"We are closely monitoring the weather and our gritting crews are going out to make our roads as safe as possible for those people undertaking essential travel. Everyone is encouraged to stay at home as much as they can."

Visit www.bedford.gov.uk/winterupdates and follow @grittertweets on twitter for forecasts and updates from the gritting crews throughout the winter.