As residents and businesses across Cornwall continue to clear up after last week’s snow, ice and floods, key Council services, including waste and transport, have returned to normal.

All waste collection and cleansing services are now operating as scheduled. Any householders whose black bags were not collected last week because of the snow and ice are asked to put them out with this week’s waste on their normal collection date.

Any missed clinical, dry recycling, garden waste and bulky waste collections from last week should be logged as normal on the Council’s website on www.cornwall.gov.uk/report-it. The Council’s contractor Biffa will then contact individual householders direct to arrange for the waste to be collected at some stage throughout this week. Please bear with us as we attempt to reschedule and return to collect.

While temperatures are continuing to rise generally, the latest forecasts from the MET office are predicting that road surface temperatures in some parts of Cornwall will remain very low – creating the risk of ice.

The council has now reverted back to the normal winter service plan and will be carrying out salting on its 25 precautionary routes as and when required.

However, even where a road has been gritted, motorists should never assume that a road is safe as black ice, freezing rain and sudden hail storms as well as snow can lead to hazardous driving conditions.

Details of where and when individual routes are being treated will be posted on the Council and CORMAC’s social media channels. More general information on the winter maintenance plan, winter driving, winter wellbeing and snow and ice is available on the Council’s website http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/snow.

The severe weather is also likely to have caused damage to many of Cornwall’s roads and footpaths. Anyone with information about damage to roads is asked to report it via the Council’s website - http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/roads-highways-and-pavements/report-a-problem-with-a-road-highway-or-footway/ unless there is a risk of immediate danger when people are asked to call 0300 1234 222. We will do our best to respond to reports of potholes and other road defects in a timely matter depending on the number of reports received.

While the majority of Cornwall’s 279 schools have re opened, problems with burst water mains means that three primary schools - St Dennis, Boyton and Porthleven Schools – remain closed. Information on the latest school closures can be accessed via www.cornwall.gov.uk/snow.

Anyone with concerns about water supplies should contact the South West Water helpline on 0344 346 2020

The council is also continuing to work with Cornwall Housing, St Petroc’s Society and other organisations who work with rough sleepers in Cornwall, to provide emergency accommodation and other services.

The Cold Weather Provision (CWP) plans, which include St Petroc’s Society Truro Resource Centre operating as a temporary night shelter and Cornwall Housing placing rough sleepers into emergency accommodation where appropriate, will remained in place until today. St Petroc’s have worked hard to minimise the impact on service users and Truro itself. CHL have also ended placements under CWP but will retain people accommodated over that last week until Wednesday 7th March 2018. CHLtd will continue to monitor temperatures until it is sure that there will be no return to cold weather.

Residents concerned about someone sleeping rough can contact Streetlink – a 24/7 website, mobile app and phone line which allows anyone who has a concern, to send out an alert about the location of someone sleeping rough. Streetlink will then pass on the information to St Petroc’s Assertive Outreach Team so that they find, engage with the person and connect them with support within 24 hours.

The council is also continuing to work with partners to provide advice and support for people on keeping warm and well in winter.

Key advice includes:

• Keep warm and set your heating to 18 degrees C and 21 degrees C (living areas) and 16 degrees C (bedrooms)

• Have regular hot meals and drinks

• Keep moving regularly to help keep warm

• Look after yourself and check on neighbours

• Drive safely, consider weather conditions before you drive

Further information on keeping warm is available on the Public Health section of the Council’s website -

People living in cold or damp homes can still apply to the Warm and Well Cornwall scheme which offers free central heating systems for homes which currently use expensive or ineffective heating, such as solid fuel heaters or electric night storage systems. The £8m funding is being used to insulate homes and help residents stay warmer for less. To find out more about Warm and Well Cornwall or to check eligibility, please ‘Call Bev’ at Inclusion Cornwall on 01872 326552 or visit the Warm and Well webpage.