Cold weather can be bad for your health, but there are some simple things residents can do to prepare for severe weather and keep warm and healthy.
Our top tips include:
- Keep your bedroom at 18C all night and, if you can, keep your bedroom window closed.
- Draw your curtains at dusk and keep doors closed to block out draughts.
- Keep moving indoors with little exercises like moving your feet up and down.
- Wear a hat, scarf and gloves outside, particularly in December and January.
- Drink hot drinks and eat warm foods like curries, stews and soups.
- Check on older or vulnerable relatives and neighbours – check their heating is working and if they need any groceries or medications.
- To reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), babies should sleep in rooms heated to between 16C and 20C.
Stay safe on Medway’s roads
Top tips when travelling during the winter months:
- Plan your journey: early mornings and afternoons will be darker – try to choose routes which are well lit.
- Be bright, be seen: wear something reflective. If you are wearing a reflective item including a keyring, bag tag or sticker, motorists will be able to see you 150 metres sooner.
- Prepare a winter essentials car kit: be prepared and have a kit ready with an ice scraper, de-icer, a torch, batteries, jump start cables, a road map, food and drink and a high-visibility vest.
- Make sure your windscreen is completely clear before you set off so you can easily spot any hazards on the road.
- Use the highest possible gear to avoid wheel spin.
- Avoid braking or accelerating sharply - If you skid, ease off the accelerator but don’t brake suddenly.
- In snow or bad weather conditions, avoid driving if you can.
Keeping Medway moving during winter
Our dedicated Highways Team works around the clock to help keep Medway moving.
During the winter this includes ensuring all our main roads are gritted, when needed, to help prevent ice from forming.
From mid-October to mid-April, our contractor is on standby to grit Medway’s roads whenever ice, frost or snow is expected.
Salt doesn’t prevent snow from settling but it can prevent ice from forming.
In Medway we have:
- 5,000 tonnes of salt stockpiled
- Eight salting vehicles
- 495 salt bins