With more snow on the way, the Council is currently out in force preparing for the bad weather which is due to hit Edinburgh this week.
Last week, around 450 to 600 millimetres of snow fell in the city and staff and contractors are still out dealing with the affects of the bad weather.
This week, the Council has the same resources in place to deal with the snow, including: 600 staff, 20 mini-tractors, 23 other LGV Lorries, 100 other vehicles, 28 JCBs and 84 mechanical excavators and other equipment.
If snow falls overnight – there will be around 30 staff and 20 gritters working through the night and additional staff out from early morning keeping the main priority routes clear.
During severe weather conditions the Council will always concentrate on treating priority routes (Category 1 roads). And this year, additional mini-tractors are being used to clear pavements in the city centre and to try and keep the main shopping areas as clear as possible.
Local neighbourhood offices will also deploy gritting teams to clear priority areas on roads and pavements. The Neighbourhood action will involve mainly manpower, excavation equipment, salt and grit mix. Lorries will also be on hand to transport snow away from the affected areas.
Depending on the severity and the amount of snow that falls, it is predicted that around 200 to 700 tonnes of salt will be used each day on the city’s roads and pavements.
Councillor Robert Aldridge, Environmental Leader, said: “Staff and contractors have been out on the ground, working day and night to deal with the snow since it started. We are still working hard and are well prepared for further bad weather. We have a good amount of salt in stock, vehicles and equipment ready for whatever weather comes our way. I would also encourage residents to follow the Council’s ‘Edinburgh Snow Code’ as part of preparations for the next spell of bad weather.”
Further severe weather updates
Refuse
Bin skips are up and running across the city for residents to take their rubbish too. See a full list of bin skip locations here
Students
The Council is aware that there are a number of students travelling home for Christmas at the end of the week. We would urge these young people to check transport arrangements for trains/planes/roads and prepare for the bad weather.
Edinburgh’s Snow Code
For essential advice on the next spell of bad weather see the Edinburgh Snow Code
