The Council Is Working Against The Weather On Our Behalf

Merton Council's dedicated teams of gritters, carers and social workers are working all hours to keep the borough moving and ensure essential services are delivered to residents.

Gritting teams continue to work around the clock having spread over 200 tonnes of grit, making 19 outings  since the cold weather started in mid November. Since the start of the season the council's gritting teams have covered 2,767km of the borough's most used roads and pavements. The council has also ordered another 300 tonnes of salt to add to its stock.

When Merton experiences heavy snowfall, street cleansing crews are being deployed to grit footways. There have been slight delays with refuse and recycling collections, but the council is all set to work over the weekends to make up time.

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.

Councillor Stephen Alambritis said: 

"We should recognise the dedication of our gritting teams. They are out working in difficult circumstances at all hours making sure our main roads and pavements are kept clear of snow. We can understand people's frustration when they see untreated roads, but we need to prioritise our major routes to ensure the least disruption as possible. We have been well prepared and ensured we were at full capacity with salt stocks, but we have to be responsible with how we use the salt.

"A big thank you goes to all our gritters, carers, teachers and the numerous council staff who are continuing to deliver vital services to Merton's residents. Snow can be fun for a lot of people, but can cause problems for the more vulnerable in our society. We all need to look out for each other and check our neighbours have enough food at home and are warm and looked after.”