Over the past week Stroud District Council has been helping vulnerable people cope with problems cause by the heavy snowfall and hazardous conditions.

Councillor Joe Forbes, cabinet member for community safety, said: ‘At difficult times like this, it‘s always gratifying to see neighbours looking out for each other to make sure that they are OK. We’re particularly concerned about vulnerable people who require assistance and have focussed our efforts in this area.’ The council’s neighbourhood wardens have been working across the district, delivering food, collecting prescriptions and helping people who have experienced problems with heating.

Ashley Nicholson, senior neighbourhood warden, added: ‘We have four four-wheel drives which have helped us get around the district to reach affected people. We’ve had a constant stream of calls and have been heading out to assist whenever we can. Aside from delivering food and prescriptions for vulnerable people, we’ve been delivering portable heaters and defrosting pipes and boilers. We’ve also delivered hot water bottles and given advice on staying warm and safe. Staying warm is obviously critical at a time like this.’ The wardens and officers from the council’s housing service have been visiting homes to defrost frozen pipes which have caused boilers to seize. The council’s housing service repairs line has received over 500 calls since Thursday and it has placed advice on its website to help people experiencing boiler problems.

Councillor Debbie Young, cabinet member for housing, added: ‘We’re doing everything we can to help anyone with heating issues and are providing portable heaters, when heating systems cannot be fixed immediately. Our main priority is vulnerable people. Conditions have been extreme and the demand we are experiencing is unprecedented. This weekend alone, we had 333 calls, and with many of our homes in rural and hilly areas, they have not been easy to reach. We would still, however, encourage anyone experiencing serious difficulty to contact us.’ Councillor Forbes added: ‘As well as helping other agencies, we’ve been contacted by individuals, and friends and relatives of people, for help. With the cold spell expected to continue for another week I’d encourage people to keep an eye out for others and contact us if they believe anyone needs help. I should also emphasise that we do not charge for the service offered by the wardens, so affected people should not hesitate to get in touch.’ The council’s main switchboard number is 01453 766321 and its housing repairs line is 01453 754852.