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| Art: Nick Miller |
Lancashire County Council says it is is fully prepared to respond to any severe weather which could hit the county over the festive period.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for high winds from Friday morning through to Saturday morning, with the medium-term forecast predicting further stormy conditions in the days to follow.
The county council’s highway teams are on standby to deal with whatever the weather brings, and are equipped to tackle everything from downed trees blocking roads, to ice and snow, and floods.
External contractors are also available to be called upon to add to the council’s manpower should they be needed.
County Councillor John Fillis, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We’re well prepared for whatever the weather holds for us over the coming days and throughout the festive period.
“Ahead of the high winds which are forecast we’re ensuring that our highway teams are ready to deal with incidents such as roads being blocked by trees, as well as any other urgent repairs and maintenance that may be needed.
“We’re also ready for any more wet or wintry weather which may follow this, with our teams on standby and well-equipped to keep the roads moving in the event of freezing weather, or respond to flooding if necessary.
“While the unsettled weather expected over Christmas is not expected to cause widespread problems, everyone in Lancashire will be reminded at this time of the awful Boxing Day floods which hit the county last year.
“The impact of this is still being felt directly by many people, and we are still working with partners to look at what could be done to mitigate the impact of future incidents.
“I would like to reassure everyone that, while most people are looking forward to some time off over the coming days, we’ll have our eyes on the weather and be ready to deal with the impact of whatever it brings us.”
• You can find out more about Lancashire County Council’s preparations for winter, including updates on gritting, and what you can do to reduce the impact of flooding, at www.lancashire.gov.uk