Council trying hard to keep the city moving

With an amber warning now, which was only reduced from red this morning, roads are still covered with snow, although many pavements are cleared of snow mainly due to hard work by council staff.

We did notice the footpaths in Princes Street Gardens are cleared but the gardens themselves are closed to the public.

For those who need assistance at home, care staff have tried to visit as many frail, older or disabled people while hundreds of service users and their families have been contacted to ensure they have the support and food supplies needed.

Last night the gritters were out all night covering the city’s priority one routes, with 22 lorries and 11 mini-tractors treating more than 600km of roads, pavements and cycle paths. Throughout the day, roads services will continue to clear snow through a combination of gritting and ploughing, with the support of diverted waste crews.

As is the case every winter, the Council offers accommodation to anyone who is homeless during freezing temperatures, working with Bethany Christian Trust and other partner agencies including Streetwork, Edinburgh Access Practice and Shelter to provide support.

In addition, the Council’s Resilience service has been working with community volunteers across the city, including Juniper Green Resilience Group, members of which have been clearing snow and visiting vulnerable people.

Council Leader, Councillor Adam McVey, said: “We are making every effort to keep the city moving in spite of severe weather, though we have had to make some decisions to cease services for the safety of the public and our staff.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many staff from across the Council who have persevered through the snow to deliver the services most needed by the people of Edinburgh.

“From the gritting teams ensuring our roads and pavements are passable to social care staff visiting some of the most vulnerable people in our society, or the contact centre operatives answering queries out of hours, their work and dedication is essential to running the city.

“I’d also like to thank the many individuals across Edinburgh looking out for their fellow citizens, whether that be clearing the pavement outside their home or visiting an older neighbour – you are just as important to the well-being of the city.”

While work is underway to clear roads, the public are advised that, in light of the amber weather warnings and further snow forecast, they should avoid driving into the city where possible.

As a result of poor travel conditions, all schools, nurseries and early years centres, as well as libraries and community centres, have been closed and will remain so on Friday, 2 March 2018.

In addition, neighbourhood offices, museums, galleries and monuments and all Edinburgh Leisure venues are currently closed, with updates to follow, while waste collections are suspended until further notice.

Full details of closures or changes to services are available on the Council website and on Twitter. Additional information on weather and travel can also be found on the Traffic Scotlandwebsite, or by following @edintravel and Police Scotland on Twitter.

The Council’s contact centre is currently operating an emergency-only system. Calls can be made using the following numbers:

Emergency service line: 0131 200 2000

Emergency social work line: 0800 731 6969

Emergency homecare line: 0800 917 8332

Welfare fund line: 0131 529 5299

Visit the Council website for further updates.