Poor weather working FAQs

1. Why can’t services be run in poor weather?

The weather can have a dramatic affect on the services we run. We rely on being able to get from and to locations using specialised vehicles. We must think of the safety of other road users, pedestrians and our own staff and make sure we do not put anyone at risk.

     2.  When we had snow last year other delivery vehicles were getting to our house so why couldn’t 
the refuse vehicle get to us?

Refuse vehicles can have a weight of up to 26 tonnes and they are much bigger than most household delivery vehicles. It is essential that we do not drive on roads when drivers make a judgement that it is not safe to do so safely.

3.  When will the Council decide if services are to go ahead?

During times of poor weather, designated senior council officers will review the situation at regular times throughout the day and make a decision on which services will run. As staff are usually arriving around 6:30am for their daily work, it is possible to make an assessment earlier; however the time above are cut off points for the decision to be made.

4.   If a service is not running what will staff be doing?

Where possible, staff will be utilised in other council run services and potentially across neighbouring authorities to ensure that key public services continue to be provided.

5.How will the Council tell people about any changes to services?

Where services have been booked such as septic tank emptying or bulky waste collections, all efforts will be made to contact the household via the contact telephone (if held).

The main route of communication will be through the Council’s website for general waste and recycling collections, as well as through Twitter and Facebook updates. Links are also held with local newspaper social networking routes and these will be utilised where possible.

Updates will also be sent to the local radios stations (BBC Hereford & Worcester, Wyvern FM, Radio WM, Touch FM and Kingfisher FM).

6. What about those residents that do not have access to the internet?

Due to the nature of the service and changing weather conditions, it is not possible to inform all households individually, therefore websites and social media communications are preferable.

Updates will also be sent to the local radios stations (BBC Hereford & Worcestershire, Wyvern FM and Radio WM)

7. What if the weather conditions improve later in the day?

Although weather and road conditions may improve, we still may not be able to make your collection on that day. Staff working in these services do not work the normal 9-5 office hours and can be working from 6:30am and therefore will finish their working day earlier.

8. How will I be told when the service returns to normal?

The main route of communication will be through the Council’s website for general waste and recycling collections, as well as through Twitter and Facebook updates. Links are also held with local newspaper social networking routes and these will be utilised where possible.

9. What services may be affected by poor weather?

10.What is poor weather?

11. Why can’t all services manage to operate in poor weather?

Some services rely on being able to get from and to locations using specialised vehicles – e.g. waste collection services. We must think of the safety of other road users, pedestrians and our own staff and make sure we do not put anyone at risk.