Conservative led Wiltshire Council has thanked its highways, emergency weather staff, contractors and all those involved for all their work throughout the weekend in responding to a record number of incidents caused by Storm Eunice.
In total, 814 reports were sent to the council to respond to up until Sunday evening (20 February), the most received for any incident, with teams working day and night across the weekend in very challenging conditions to make the county's roads as safe and clear as possible to keep the county moving.
As well as highways and emergency weather staff, other council staff also ensured vulnerable people were safe and had what they needed, communications staff sent out regular messaging throughout the weekend to ensure everyone had as much up-to-date information as possible, and waste collections were carried out throughout the county. The council also wishes to thank those people who helped move trees - from farms to community groups, everyone played an important role.
The clean-up work will continue into this week, as highways teams and contractors work on ensuring primary routes are clear, before working through reports on minor roads and other areas.
The council is also concerned that some people have been without power since Friday. It is urging people to support their neighbours, particularly vulnerable ones, and if anyone has any concerns about vulnerable people, they should call the council on 0300 456 0111.
Conservative Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said:
On behalf of myself and the whole of Cabinet, we can't thank everyone enough for their hard and important work in the most challenging of circumstances and conditions. In terms of the amount of reports we've received, this storm is unprecedented, but as a council we were well prepared and responded to as many as we possibly could, ensuring the county wasn't brought to a standstill.
Because of our teams' planning, dedication and hard work, residents of Wiltshire were kept safe and informed, and although the impact of Storm Eunice has certainly been felt, we hope we helped made this really difficult time that little bit easier.
The hard work doesn't stop though, and we've had more than 50 reports coming in on Monday, so during the week our teams will be out throughout the county continuing with the clear-up, and we thank everyone for their patience and understanding while we do this.
We know that there are people in Wiltshire that are still without power and that there has been some fantastic community spirit, as these people have helped each other through this challenging time. We'd continue to encourage anyone with concerns about vulnerable people without power to call us on 0300 456 0111.
I urge everyone to continue to keep safe while the weather and conditions remain challenging.
If people spot a tree down or another obstruction on the highway, please let the council know with MyWilts at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/mywilts-online-reporting or via the app.
Regular updates can be found at the council's Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/wiltscouncil
