Kirklees Together

We are expecting some snow over the weekend and into early next week. We are getting prepared and you should too. Please plan your journeys and only travel if it is essential.

Keeping roads open where possible

We have plans in place to make sure we have the best chance of being able to keep the main roads open for key workers, emergency services and other essential journeys.

We have extra staff on standby and plenty of grit ready to go. We will be gritting priority routes before the snow arrives and ploughing, clearing and gritting right into the evening until after the snow stops and the priority roads are clear.

How we are supporting emergency services

Our teams will also be on hand to grit Covid-19 testing and vaccination centres, so they can have the best chance of staying open. Town centres and transport hubs will be cleared and hand gritted where needed too.

We have a number of 4×4 vehicles that our teams use to make sure care workers and nurses can get to our most vulnerable residents. Those 4x4s may also be needed to get our gritter drivers into work!

How can you prepare?

There are plenty of things you can do to make sure you are prepared for severe weather.

The first thing we would advise is to make sure you have enough food and all your essential medicines before the weekend. You might also want to think about checking on any elderly relatives or neighbours to make sure they have everything they need.

If you are able to stay at home, keeping warm is vital to keeping well. Take a look at our tips for keeping your home warm and cosy during cold weather.

Help us to help you by parking considerately if you live on a main gritting route so that our gritters can do their job properly.

If you have to travel – please consider putting together an emergency kit for your car and take a look at these winter driving tips.

We will be gritting the main roads but you may want to clear your path or driveway, this video shows you how to do it quickly and safely.

Don’t forget that you can use grit from grit bins to clear public footpaths but this grit should not be used on private property.

For more information on winter in Kirklees including updates on service disruptions and how you can be prepared take a look at our website or follow our dedicated winter Twitter channel @kirkleeswinter.

Stay safe and warm this weekend.