Caution advised as mercury set to plummet following storm

People are being urged to prepare ahead of wintry weather hitting Leicestershire.

With overnight temperatures set to plummet to 0C and some surface water remaining in areas hit by flooding, residents and motorists are being asked to take extra care.

Leicestershire County Council’s highways team has attended around 250 jobs relating to flooding in the aftermath of Storm Henk and now with the temperatures dropping its gritting team will be out again tonight (Monday), treating priority routes.

Our teams have been working hard to deal with flood related incidents on our highways. This includes closing roads to protect communities and residents’ properties, and to provide access for emergency services if needed.  We are doing our best to get all remaining closed roads open again.

“We also have our team of 23 gritters on hand to treat around 1,300 miles of highways when conditions get bad.

“However, we are also asking people to make sure they are prepared and take extra care as the drop in temperature combined with excess surface water may lead to icy conditions.

Person:Ozzy O'Shea, cabinet member for highways and transport 

This year, the council’s grit barns were stocked up with 18,500 tonnes of rock salt, ready to tackle the worst of the winter weather. 

More information is available on preparing for winter weather, including details of gritting routes

If you, or someone you know, has experienced flooding: 

-             To help unlock funding, it’s important to know if you’ve been flooded. You can do this by completing a simple form. If you know any vulnerable people who’ve been flooded and still need support, contact your district council 

-             The Government has agreed to release funding to help flood-hit residents and businesses – we'll let you know how you can apply for this as soon as it can. Please keep any eye out on @LeicsCountyHall on X (formerly Twitter) and Leicestershire County Council’s Facebook page

You can prepare for flooding even if you don’t think you’re at risk by signing up for flood warnings, preparing your home, and checking your route before making an essential journey.

Useful links.

Flooding
You can sign up for flood alerts

preparing your home in case of a flood

Travel

Driving in icy conditions

To check before you travel – find live travel updates by listening to local radio or by following Area Traffic Control on X