Council staff work round the clock to keep county safe

COUNCIL staff have been working round the clock to keep Carmarthenshire as safe as possible as the cold snap takes hold.

Gritting teams have been working through the weekend – with primary and secondary routes throughout the county being treated.

Crews have also been out and about on pick-up trucks hand-gritting footways and pedestrian areas in the main town centres as well as villages and towns in rural areas and responding to requests from the public.

Staff from the Carmarthen depot assisted the fire service on Saturday by de-icing a water spill from a fire hydrant following a barn fire at Llanllwni and they also gritted the route for St Clears Winter Carnival to take place.

Despite the icy conditions, the number of calls to the council has been relatively low.

All refuse/recycling vehicles are out today and collections are being made where it is safe and possible. However, the extreme weather conditions could cause some disruption to collections, particularly in more rural areas.

Householders who have not received a collection are being asked to take in their waste until their next scheduled blue or black bag collection date. The four black bag limit will be suspended during this time.

Residents can take their black bags to their nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) if they so wish and it is safe to do so. All HWRCS are open as usual.

As green bins are collected weekly this should not pose a problem, however if residents do have excess food waste please contact Carmarthenshire Direct on 01267 234567 for advice.

Executive board member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “The refuse crews do an excellent job all year round, sometimes in appalling weather conditions, and we appreciate all their hard work. We would also like to thank residents for their patience and co-operation during this time.”

Motorists are again being reminded to take extra care, particularly on untreated roads.