Teams from across many areas of Durham County Council are working hard to ensure services are disrupted as little as possible during the current winter weather.
Gritters and snow ploughs have been out throughout the night on priority one routes in all areas as well as on priority two routes in the Pennines. They will continue to work throughout the day as conditions demand.
Motorists are advised that the A66 is closed at present while snow clearing is carried out by Highways England.
Delays can be expected on the A1(M) for drivers heading both North and South as well as on the A691 between Consett and Durham.
On other main roads traffic is moving although journeys are taking longer than usual.
Residents are advised to only travel if necessary and council teams are also working to keep footpaths clear in town and city centres and around priority areas such as hospitals and medical centres.
Many primary and secondary schools are closed across the county due to the heavy snowfall. Parents are advised to check www.durham.gov.uk/alerts and the council’s social media channels at facebook.com/durhamcouncil and twitter.com/DurhamCouncil for further details of when they will reopen.
Residents whose bins are due to be emptied today are advised that there may be some major disruptions to collection and household waste recycling centres are also being affected by the adverse weather. Information will be provided on the council’s social media channels throughout the day and every effort is being made to undertake as many collections as possible.
The council is maintaining contact with care agencies across the county to ensure people who receive care at home continue to do so. Residents are encouraged to check on vulnerable friends, relatives and neighbours who may need help.
John Reed, the council’s head of technical services, said: “Snowfall has been very heavy across the county but we put plans in place yesterday to treat roads before the worst of the weather came and have been allocating extra resources to snow ploughing.
“Our staff and contractors have worked continuously through the night and into the morning to keep roads and as many paths as possible clear. Ploughing and gritting continues through the morning, in those areas most affected.
“The weather has obviously impacted on schools and refuse collections and we encourage people to keep an eye on our website and social media channels for up to date information throughout the day.
“We’d also ask people to plan their journeys according to the weather conditions and to take care when driving, as well as looking out for vulnerable neighbours, friends and relatives.”
For further information visit www.durham.gov.uk/snow.