PEOPLE are being warned to prepare their homes and gardens as the snow and ice begins to thaw.
Carmarthenshire County Council’s Property Services division say that simple measures, such as checking that drains and gullies are clear of debris, will help prevent any potential flooding as the snow begins to melt.
They also warn to be careful of falling icicles which are starting to thaw and drop from gutters and rooftops.
The Property Services division has had a busy few weeks since the temperatures plunged. Its job is to maintain the council’s 9,200 homes, schools, sheltered housing complexes, residential care homes, leisure centres and its business premises.
During the adverse weather staff have seen an increase in the volume of calls reporting burst pipes and heating failures, and have worked hard to ensure tenants have suffered minimum disruption.
They have also been assisting other council departments, particularly social care and Street Scene, redeploying 4x4 vehicles and staff to ensure frontline services have been able to operate and helping to grit roads, pathways and entrances to schools, day centres and residential homes.
Head of service, Phil Lumley, said: “It has certainly been a challenging few weeks, but I’m glad to say that our staff have risen to that challenge, and also gone beyond in their efforts to assist tenants and other council departments.
“Our next challenge is dealing with the thaw, which could potentially bring its own problems, such as localised flooding in some cases where drains and gullies are unable to cope.
“We want to encourage all our tenants, and other members of the public, to take some simple precautionary measures, such as checking that their drains are clear of debris which will help any excess water drain away.”
Cllr Phillip Hughes, executive board member for Technical Services, said: “We would be very grateful if people would help our efforts by taking this simple advice on board as the snow and ice begins to thaw.”
He added: “The Property Services division, like other council departments, have faced a challenging few weeks, and I’m very grateful for their efforts. The support they have offered other teams has ensured that any disruption has been kept to a minimum.”