Brickhill Parish Council, Bedford

Caring for yourself and others when it's cold

News - 27th February 2018

Following the issue of a Cold Weather Alert, Bedford Borough Council is urging residents to take care of themselves and others both at home and when out and about.

Weather Alerts are issued when severe weather is occurring, when average temperatures have dropped to 2°C or below, and/or widespread ice and heavy snow is present.

The cold weather looks like lasting most of this week with a trend towards less cold conditions at the weekend.

The Council provides a number of service updates during cold or inclement weather, such as our ‘Gritter Tweets’ Twitter account, which provides daily updates on road conditions, as well as regular updates on public transport and bin collections posted on our website; http://apps.bedford.gov.uk/winterupdates/

The Cold Weather Plan for England sets out a series of actions that health and social care organisations, voluntary and community groups, and individuals can take to help reduce the risk of cold-related illnesses and deaths.

Here are some top tips to prepare for colder weather:

Councillor Louise Jackson, Portfolio Holder for Public Health at Bedford Borough Council said: “Public Health England have advised that many parts of England, including Bedford Borough, are going to see temperatures drop over the next few days with accompanying snow and bitterly cold winds. It is really important that people are aware and can take extra care during this period.

The website http://www.nhs.uk/staywell has lots of useful advice for taking care of yourself and your loved ones. Much of it may seem like common sense, but it’s worth a look to make sure you can prevent accidents from happening.”