Our Snow Army
How the people of Bridgend county drove nurses to hospital, delivered shopping, cleared paths, cooked for neighbours, took in strangers and slept at work as Storm Emma left us snowbound
THE scale of the effort made by Bridgend Council to keep the county moving during the worst weather in years has been revealed.
Approximately 860 tonnes of grit – equivalent in weight to 1,888 polar bears – were spread over 3,762km of roads, or the same distance as a oneway trip to Cairo, between Wednesday, February 28, and Monday, the authority has revealed.
Air and road-surface temperatures plummeted to levels rarely seen, with the lowest road temperature recorded on Cymmer Hill in Caerau, near Maesteg, at -9.8C.
Three fallen trees also had to be removed from the roads and 450 grit bins were restocked.
At the peak of the effort, Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) had eight gritters and four JCBs out.
The local authority said it is too early to say calculate the cost of the extreme weather, but Debbie Wilcox, leader of the Welsh Local Government Association, said councils were “faced with significant additional costs incurred over the last few days and in coming weeks which will be an extra pressure on already tight budgets”.
On Monday Ms Wilcox told the BBC that council leaders are seeking extra cash from the Welsh Government to help them cope with the cost of dealing with the snow disruption.
Ministers have congratulated public sector workers for their efforts.
First Minister Carwyn Jones said: “As the snow begins to thaw, I wish to give a big thank you to everyone for their tireless efforts in keeping our public services going and helping others in their communities.”
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Vaughan Gething paid tribute to medi- cal staff.
He said: “I have been in awe of the lengths they have been going to, making sure our hospitals, primary and community care and other essential services were able to continue operating, despite pressures from all angles.
“I’d also like to thank all local government workers who ensured the roads were kept clear and the volunteers who ferried staff to and from work, or did anything they could to help in such difficult conditions, without whom there would have been even more pressure on the NHS, social care and other emergency services.”