Advice on how cold weather may affect your health and services.
Should severe winter weather continue, we'll keep you informed of the weather situation over the coming days via email. Please encourage your friends and family to sign up to Stay Connected e-updates to get the latest winter weather updates.
Stay up to date with the weather forecast here and follow us on Twitter.
Schools
In the event of severe weather, keep updated on all school closures here.
Waste and recycling collections
A decision has been taken to postpone waste collections today (1 March), as collection vehicles cannot be safely deployed in built-up areas due to the current adverse weather conditions. Street cleansing and waste crews are assisting with gritting high risk areas and conditions will be continually monitored throughout the day. Please bear with us, we will catch up as soon as soon as we can. If possible, please take your bins off of the pavement and leave them near your boundary where we can collect them once we are able to.
Travel advice
We are gritting priority one routes and will monitor weather forecast and conditions to determine if further gritting is needed. Though we cannot grit all roads, we have established priority routes which are the main access routes for the city and, if it snows, the attention will be on keeping these roads passable.
You can learn more about routes and local road maintenance in the winter via our webpage. There is a link on this page to the official government advice for householders (the Snow Code).
For real-time information on road conditions if it snows, please follow @scchighways on Twitter for live updates. If we do have significant snowfall, workers will be taken off normal duties and redeployed on to gritting the main footways.
Your health
Cold weather can affect your health. For the majority of people, taking a few simple precautions and following guidance from the NHS will ensure that they are safe and warm during cold weather. However, some people may be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke, flu, falls or other ailments. The cold weather can also be dangerous for the elderly, people with long term health conditions, pregnant women and young children.
Learn more from NHS Choices about keeping well in winter.
If you start to feel unwell, even if it's a cough or cold, don't wait until it gets more serious. Seek advice from your pharmacist.
Follow these tips on keeping well in the cold:
- Wear several layers of clothes rather than one chunky layer – clothes made from cotton, wool or fleecy fibres help to maintain body heat.
- Use a hot water bottle or electric blanket to keep warm in bed – but don't use both at the same time.
- Have at least one hot meal a day – eating regularly helps keep you warm; and make sure you have hot drinks regularly.
- Try not to sit still for more than an hour or so indoors – get up and stretch your legs.
- Stay active – even moderate exercise can help keep you warm.
- Wrap a scarf loosely around your mouth when outdoors – add a hat and wear shoes with a good grip, too. If you have a heart or respiratory problem, stay indoors during very cold weather.
- Remember, some people who are considered to be at most risk can get a flu jab free on the NHS.
Check up on relatives and vulnerable neighbours
It can be really helpful to look in on relatives, older neighbours and those with heart or respiratory (breathing) problems, who make be more vulnerable to the cold to make sure they:
- Are safe and well
- Are warm enough - especially overnight
- Have stocks of food and medicines, so they don't need to go out during very cold weather
If you're worried about a relative or elderly neighbour, contact NHS 999, or call the Age UK helpline on 0800 678 1174 (8am-7pm every day).
If you're concerned that the person may be suffering from hypothermia, contact NHS 999.
Follow these tips to keep you and your family warm and well at home:
- If you're not very mobile, are 65 or over, or have a health condition, such as heart or lung disease, heat your home to at least 18C (65F).
- Keep your bedroom at 18C all night if you can – and keep the bedroom window closed.
- During the day you may prefer your living room to be slightly warmer than 18C.
- To reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), babies should sleep in rooms heated to between 16C and 20C.
- If you're under 65, healthy and active, you can safely have your home cooler than 18C, if you're comfortable.
- Draw curtains at dusk and keep doors closed to block out draughts.
- Get your heating system checked regularly by a qualified professional.
Heating your home
If you are worried about keeping your home warm this winter you can contact Southampton Healthy Homes for support and guidance. If you would like to find out more about the service, or would like to refer a family member, neighbour or client, you can contact the Environment Centre (tEC) on Freephone 0800 804 8601 (Mon-Fri 9-5) or email keepwarm@environmentcentre.com.
They also provide an Affordable Warmth Checklist and Keep Warm and Well Advice.
You may be able to claim financial and practical help with heating your home. Grants available include the Winter Fuel Payment and the Cold Weather Payment.
The Energy Saving Trust has advice on how to reduce bills and make your home more energy efficient. They can also advise on grants and schemes available around the UK.
Find out more online from the Energy Saving Trust or call 0300 123 1234 (9am-8pm Monday to Friday).
Concerns about rough sleepers
Southampton City Council, working with Two Saints, Society of St James and the Salvation Army, has made extra beds available for rough sleepers during the cold winter weather. This began in November last year and will stay in place for the duration of winter weather conditions this year. This is an extension of the provision and support made available all year round by the Street Homeless Prevention team at the council. Outreach staff have been actively engaging with rough sleepers to encourage them to take up this offer and checking with them on a daily basis. The team will also be working to help people into longer term accommodation solutions and to enrol them on support programmes.
If you have any concerns over someone sleeping on the streets, then you should report your concern via StreetLink in the first instance on 03005000914 or email them on info@streetlink.org.uk This is a national service for reporting street sleepers and is easy to use.
You can also contact our Street Homelessness Team direct by emailing your concerns for any rough sleeper via streethomeless@southampton.gov.uk or visiting the Street Homelessness Prevention web page which provides full details of services to help rough sleepers including local charities that both give and receive help for the homeless.
If you are an existing customer and are concerned that your meal has not been delivered during the usual delivery period (M-F, 11.30-15.30), please call 02380833866.
Libraries
All council-run libraries are open currently. YMCA Weston library and Millbrook community library are currently open.
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