Warm praise for council's snowbusters

The Leader, Chief Executive of Denbighshire County Council and Cabinet Member have all paid tribute to the teams of staff, contractors for their tireless efforts in dealing with the prolonged wintry conditions as they prepare to work on into the Easter weekend. 

Leader of the Council, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: "I would like to pay tribute to the tireless work of our teams and contractors who have been working round the clock since the snow fell. I would also like to thank those people who have also offered their help to clear the snow, which has cut off many parts of the south of the county.

 "Our staff have told us that this weather event has been exceptional and it is fair to say our resources have been stretched but I am proud of how the teams have pulled together and we can see progress being made every day and I commend their efforts."
"The strong winds have caused major drifting and teams are still working with local contractors around the clock to try and clear these roads. This has proved difficult, particularly on higher routes, as the strong breeze has seen snow drifting back on roads which have been cleared. "

Chief Executive, Mohammed Mehmet, said: "I am very proud of our staff who have worked in terrible conditions to try and keep us safe. Many roads have been blocked hedge to hedge. It has been a really testing time and my thanks go to all the teams and contractors but also to colleagues in many other departments who have rallied together to assist with the efforts.

"We have also worked closely with colleagues from a number of other agencies to respond to this on-going situation and we will continue to deploy our resources to get the situation back to normal as quickly as possible. We are aware there are now increasing welfare issues for both residents and animals and we are looking to provide assistance to those who need it."

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said: "Many of our highways staff say these have been the worst conditions they have experienced. "Our gritting and ploughing teams are doing great work and I would also like to pay tribute to the contractors that have been assisting us. We would like to reassure residents that we are doing our utmost to clear the roads and to get things moving again - and we are making progress despite any news of a thaw in the coming days.

"We would like to thank the public for their understanding. We have seen examples of where communities have really pulled together to help each other - even in these difficult circumstances it's great to see community spirit alive and kicking and I would urge people to keep an eye on their elderly or vulnerable neighbours at this time."

Body found at foot of aqueduct

The Leader is reporting this morning that a body has been found at the foot of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Emergency services were called to the aqueduct in Trevor at 5.30pm yesterday.

See the full story at:

http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/121244/body-found-at-foot-of-pontcysyllte-aqueduct.aspx

Snow keeps Plas Newydd shut over Easter

* Snow will keep Plas Newydd closed over Easter.

Plas Newydd in Llangollen, home of ‘The Ladies’ will now be closed to the public during the Easter weekend.

Originally due to open on Good Friday, recent severe weather conditions have caused serious damage to trees and property on the site and despite the efforts of contractors, staff and volunteers it is currently unsafe to receive public visits.

Manager Sam Williams said ‘Llangollen was severely hit by the recent harsh weather conditions and although things are gradually returning to normal in the town we have had to take the decision to remain closed at Plas Newydd this weekend. A large number of damaged trees are still classified as unsafe and contractors have been unable to reach many of them in the snow.

We have work ongoing to clear the site and make it safe and we intend to open to the public in a weeks’ time.

The house, gardens and tea rooms will re-open on Friday April 5^th, 10am – 5pm and remain open 6 days a week (closed Tuesdays) until the end of September.

Our other properties Nantclwyd Y Dre in Ruthin and Ruthin Gaol will open as usual on Good Friday and we have a family egg-hunt taking place at Nantclwyd Y Dre on Easter Saturday

For more information please visit www.denbighshire.gov.uk/heritage  or call Denbighshire Heritage Service on 01824 708274 / 708259.

Llangollen Railway man speaks to the BBC

George Jones of Llangollen Railway Trust (pictured below) has taken part in a special BBC Radio Wales news item marking the 50th anniversary of the Beeching Report, which led to the closure of the town's mainline station in the 1960s.

Mr Jones talked about the 1970s re-birth of the station and the heritage railway's plans for the future.

"We are still attempting to get through to Corwen and have a 10 mile town-to-town railway through what is really the most scenic part of the Dee Valley.”

The item was aired just before 9am today (Wednesday) is can be seen on the BBC website at:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-21947552

 

 

Latest snow update from county council

* A snow blower in action on a minor county road.

Snow update 27 March as at 3.45pm

Work to clear the snow is continuing today and good progress is now being made on the smaller roads but many of these are blocked from hedge to hedge.
 
In some areas though, drifts are still reforming over roads that have been cleared and so access is with 4x4s only - it is still a constantly shifting picture at the moment. Every available resource is being used and 30 highways crews and contractors will be working into the Easter weekend to continue the clearance work.

Teams of staff have been deployed to clear the town centres at Llangollen and Corwen in time for the Easter weekend and good progress is being made here too.

There are concerns however, that there is a large amount of snow on the roofs that could come down at any minute posing a risk to anyone underneath so extra care is needed in these areas (some sections of the streets have been cordoned off to protect the public). There is also a risk to fittings such as guttering.
The council is reminding people with any immediate and urgent welfare issues to contact Denbighshire's Customer Service Centre on 01824 706100 (Welsh) or 01824 706101 (English).

The council has have been receiving help from other organisations such as British Red Cross to assist people who are still snowbound. 

Council announces Easter recycling plans

Denbighshire County Council is reminding householders today that recycling and refuse collections will take place on the usual day over Easter.

Collection teams will be out working as normal on both the Good Friday and Easter Monday bank holidays.  In addition, the three manned Recycling Parks at Denbigh, Rhyl and Ruthin will be open throughout the Easter weekend.

With the clocks going forward on the night of Sunday 31^st March, the Recycling Parks will switch to the extended summer opening hours from Easter Monday (more details at denbighshire.gov.uk/recycling). 

The recent heavy snowfalls have affected recycling and refuse services to many residents, particularly those in the south of Denbighshire.

The council says it wishes to apologise for any inconvenience and assures householders that it is attempting to make collections wherever it is safe to do so.  With Denbighshire unlikely to see a rise in temperatures before the Easter weekend there is still a risk of disruption to services over Easter, according to the council.

However, where collections are missed due to snow the council says it will collect additional recycling or refuse if it is set out on the next due collection date.

AM praises search and rescue team members

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has praised North East Wales Search and  Rescue Team (NEWSAR) for their “incredible commitment’ during the recent heavy snow fall in North Wales.

 

Over the weekend, NEWSAR was called to a remote farm on the Horseshoe Pass above Llangollen to rescue an elderly couple who has collapsed from carbon monoxide poisoning after by fumes from their emergency generator came into the house.   

 

Mr Isherwood, who met NEWSAR’s Deputy Team Leader, Chris Griffiths, at their base on the Kingswood Outdoor Education Centre at Loggerheads, near Mold, on Tuesday,  said the way in which the volunteer team has dealt with the increased number of call outs due to the heavy snow fall is extremely commendable.

 

He said: "North East Wales Search and Rescue are owed a particular debt of gratitude for their incredible commitment and for the long hours they have worked during this period of heavy snow fall. Although they normally receive about 60-70 requests for their services each year, they have received some 20 calls over the last weekend alone. This is all the more incredible given that they are all volunteers and that almost all their funding comes from their own fundraising efforts.”

 

NEWSAR covers an area of 1,126 square miles (2,918 square kilometres) comprising the counties of Flintshire, Denbighshire, Wrexham and parts of Conwy , Powys, Wirral and Cheshire . The team also responds to calls from West Mercia Police in Shropshire and Cheshire Police in Cheshire.

Mountain rescue teams are on standby 24/7, 365 days a year, whatever the conditions, with fast response times helping those in difficult to access areas.

 

Mr Isherwood added: “The teams in North Wales, North East Wales Search and Rescue and Ogwen Mountain Rescue,  have been pushing the boundaries of mountain rescue for a long time, supporting the Emergency Service response at incidents such as the recent heavy snow falls, the St Asaph floods and the search for April Jones in Machynlleth. However, teams across Wales share just £13,000 Welsh Government funding, which is only £1,000 per team, which contrasts with the £312,000  Scottish Government funding for the teams there, equivalent to £11,500 each.”