South Tarrant Valley Group Parish Council
Inclement Weather Plan
SOUTH TARRANT VALLEY GROUP PARISH COUNCIL – INCLEMENT WEATHER PLAN[1]
BACKGROUND
Snow falls are becoming increasingly rare events in Dorset which means that when they do occur Parish Councils should have contingency plans that are readily accessible to local communities.
South Tarrant Valley Group Parish Council[1] (the Parish Council) does not have a statutory duty to either prepare snow contingency plans or to undertake snow and ice clearance. Nevertheless, the Parish Council is best placed to set down information and guidance for its parishioners as to where information concerning road clearance may be found. Also to provide practical assistance for local self-help.
[1] Comprises Tarrants Crawford, Keyneston, Rushton and Rawston
Legal Liability – Government Advice[3]
- Clear snow from a road, path or cycleway
You can clear snow and ice from pavements yourself. It’s unlikely that you’ll be sued or held responsible if someone is injured on a path or pavement if you’ve cleared it carefully.
- How to clear snow and ice
When you clear snow and ice:
- do it early in the day – it’s easier to move fresh, loose snow
- don’t use water – it might refreeze and turn to black ice
- use salt if possible – it will melt the ice or snow and stop it from refreezing overnight (but don’t use the salt from salting bins as this is used to keep roads clear)
- you can use ash and sand if you don’t have enough salt – it will provide grip underfoot
- pay extra attention when clearing steps and steep pathways – using more salt may help
- Council Gritting
You can find more about what action Dorset Council will take in icy or snowy weather by clicking on the following link:
https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/travel/travel
CONTACTS
The snow plan co-ordinator on the Parish Council will take the lead in co-ordinating local resources during adverse weather. This Councillor will monitor information from all relevant authorities and liaise with other key personnel and local contacts as to any action to be taken.
Co-ordinator
The co-ordinator is:
Stuart Thomson
Chapel Barn, Church Close, Tarrant Keyneston
Telephone: 451185
Mobile: 07979 797889
email: thomson.tk3@gmail.com
2ND CONTACT
Kate Huck, Parish Clerk
Tel: 07706 490077
Email: southtarrantvalley@dorset-aptc.gov.uk
ASSUMPTIONS
- It is expected that Dorset Council will perform precautionary salt spreading on all A and B roads. This should include the B3082.
- In the event of heavy snowfall it is expected that Dorset Council will perform snow clearance using snow ploughs on A and B roads and some well used roads. See Appendix 1 for statement from Dorset Council regarding snow clearance and their priorities.
- Most minor and unclassified roads such as Valley Road are unlikely to be cleared by Dorset Council. Clearance will rely on local efforts.
- In the event of severe snow Dorset Council will prioritise key North/South and East/West routes meaning, for example, that the A350 will take precedence over the B3082.
The following link to Dorset Council will provide information about the gritting and/or clearance of key routes and should be a key source of data for the Parish Council and for individuals.
SNOW CLEARANCE OF LOCAL ROADS
Where possible this will be undertaken on a voluntary basis by local farmers. Clearance will happen only if the volunteers involved are confident that their actions in clearing snow will not lead to more serious issues such as compacted ice. Tractors could be used to clear snow – but not ice – and deliver grit to badly affected areas.
SALT/GRIT BINS
There are 3 bins in the following locations:
Tarrant Keyneston – 1) Valley Road at the entrance to the footpath to Crawford Church – beyond the Church on the left hand side approaching from the B3082. 2) St Richards Close at the top of the slope on the left-hand side near footpath sign.
Tarrant Rushton – At the T-junction adjacent to signpost.
These bins are filled by Dorset Council during late summer and are for use on the public highway only.
The Parish Clerk should be contacted if a grit bin needs replenishing.
LOCAL ASSISTANCE
Residents are advised to keep small bags of salt, readily available from DIY stores, to sprinkle on their own paths and driveways when severe weather is forecast. During bad weather, supplies of salt will be less readily available as stocks expire.
Any parishioner who is physically unable to clear their drive or pathway should, in the first instance, contact a neighbour for assistance. After that contact your local Parish Councillor to see if they can organise someone to help. See Appendix 2 for a list of current Parish Councillors.
GUIDANCE ON SNOW CLEARING AND SALT SPREADING
Snow clearers have a duty to take reasonable care not to create new hazards such as piling up heaps of snow, blocking drains or leaving an area in such a condition as to make slips more likely.
Snow is easier to clear when it is fresh than when it has been compacted and frozen. Clearers should take care not to over-exert themselves.
APPENDIX 1
The following is an extract from Dorset Council’s severe weather plan:
Dorset Highways carries out precautionary salting of the network to prevent the formation of ice, as well as salting to remove snow and ice from the road network.
6mm dry rock salt is used for precautionary and post event salting. Grit sand is added to the salt or laid on its own to aid traffic movement during heavy snowfall.
Weather Forcast
An effective and efficient winter service is only possible with reliable and accurate information about weather conditions. Dorset Highways utilises the best weather information available from its weather forecast provider, currently Meteo Group (DTN), to ensure that decisions are based on the most accurate data available.
During the winter service period Dorset Highways receives detailed weather forecasts and reports specifically dedicated to the roads, four weather domains and the 22 routes within the Dorset council area. This data is based upon national weather forecasts and the data collected from 11 roadside weather stations positioned across the county.
The timing of precautionary salting depends upon the prevailing weather conditions and will be arranged to ensure the network is treated before ice and frost form.
Experienced members of staff from Dorset Highways will act as Duty Engineers throughout the operational winter service period on a rota basis. The Duty Engineer is responsible for:
- receiving forecast information from the forecast provider
- monitoring current weather conditions
- issuing salting instructions for the precautionary network based on the and the 22 precautionary routes. Posting the forecast decision on the Icelert Bureau and on the Meteo group (DTN) system
- assisting and advising during snow events and severe weather events
- convening the Extreme Weather Event Board
- establishing liaison/contact with Dorset Police Control Room
- participating in any teleconferences convened
When we salt
Precautionary salting will take place on the scheduled network on a pre-planned basis to help prevent the formation of ice, frost and / or the accumulation of snow on carriageway surfaces.
Post salting will normally take place on the scheduled precautionary salting network to treat ice, frost and snow that has already formed on carriageways. Post salting may in exceptional circumstances also be carried out on roads or sections of roads beyond the scheduled precautionary salting routes.
Spot salting may take place on parts or sections of the scheduled salting routes either to help prevent formation of ice, frost and / or accumulations of snow or as a treatment to ice, frost and the accumulation of snow that has already formed on the carriageway. Spot salting may in exceptional circumstances also be required on roads beyond the precautionary salting network.
Instructions for precautionary salting of the network will be issued if road surface temperatures are expected to fall below 1ºC unless:
- road surfaces are expected to be dry and frost is not expected to form on the road surface
- residual salt on the road surface is expected to provide adequate protection against ice or frost forming
Instructions for salting of the precautionary network will also be issued if snowfall is expected.
The Duty Engineer will issue the instructions for precautionary salting of the network for each of the 22 precautionary routes. Any instructions for post and spot salting will be posted on the Icelert Bureau and on the Meteo group (DTN) system.
The Duty Engineer will issue instructions to pre-salt the Community Routes if snow is forecast or if temperatures are expected to fall below freezing for a prolonged period. These decisions will also be posted on the Icelert Bureau and on the Meteo group (DTN) system. There is an expectation that pre-salt action on the Community Routes network would be completed within six hour of the action being called.
The Precautionary Salted Network will be fully treated within 2.5 hours (20g per m2 spread rate or less) of instructed start time.
When an urgent instruction to treat the precautionary network is issued by the Duty Engineer then the treatment of the network will start within 1.5 hours.
Our salting routes
All A, B and well-used C class roads are treated, as well as:
- links to hospitals, large industrial estates, transport interchanges, emergency services (including manned Coastguard and RNLI) stations and identified critical infrastructure
- routes to all urban schools with more than 500 pupils and rural schools with more than 350 pupils
- primary bus routes with a substantial frequency (school bus routes are not included)
- main routes (that don’t meet criteria above) through towns and villages with populations of more than 750
Consideration will be given to salting diversion routes where interruptions to the precautionary network have occurred.
The aim of this criteria is to treat the roads used by the majority of the travelling public this amounts to around 28% of the overall Dorset Council road network.
Secondary network
During prolonged periods where temperature remain at or below freezing community link routes – serving smaller villages and hamlets – will be treated as resources allow.
These routes will also be pre-treated – where resources allow – when snow is forecast and will be ploughed and salted following snowfall once priority ploughing routes remain clear.
Footways and cycleways
There is no precautionary salting of footways, pedestrian precincts or cycleways by Dorset Highways as it is impractical and financially draining to carry out.
However, there is a certain amount of salt overspill onto footways and cycleways when precautionary salting is being carried out on adjacent roads.
Post-salting of footways and cycleways will be carried out on a priority basis during severe weather as resources permit.
APPENDIX 2
CURRENT PARISH COUNCILLORS
Tarrant Crawford:
Nick Parker
Telephone: 857453
Mobile: 07836 265756
Tarrant Keyneston:
Stuart Thomson
Telephone: 451185
Mobile: 07979 797889
Chris Garland
Telephone: 480293
Pam Eaton
Telephone: 454559
Mobile: 07747 119808
Ray Thompson
Mobile: 07889 096939
Debbie Beale
Telephone: 453686
Tarrant Rushton:
Tim Munford
Telephone: 459582
Nick Harding
Telephone: 458318
Mobile: 07887 773870
Mark Deketelaere
Mobile: 077360 71703
Tarrant Rawston
James Cossins
Telephone: 452769
Mobile: 07836 729475
Andy Sweetland
Telephone: 488774
Mobile: 07979 570938
[1] Version 5.00 October 2023
Please use this link to download / view the Inclement Weather Plan as a PDF document