Storm Eunice - service information & how to stay safe

Update: 2pm - Saturday, 19 February:

Parks:

Following Storm Eunice, all parks and open spaces are now open.

The car parks are currently closed at Hainault Forest Country Park and Goodmayes Park. The footpaths, however, are open at Hainault Forest Country Park.

Friday, 18 February:

Storm Eunice is causing significant disruption and dangerous conditions due to extremely strong winds on Friday 18 February.

A red warning has been issued for London and South East England.

We follow national advice and advise people not to put themselves at unnecessary risk by going out unless necessary. 

Customer Services:

The Customer Contact Centre (020 8554 5000) will be open tomorrow (Saturday, 19 February) from 9am to 12pm.

We will only be dealing with Storm Eunice emergency calls, and messaging on the telephone system will advise “emergencies only” and for customers to check our website for up to date information on services, such as waste collections etc.

Trees:

We have identified nearly 90 incidents concerning fallen trees. 

We have already moved a number of the 'highest priority trees to ensure the main roads are clear.

We have eight crews deployed throughout the borough who are working hard to ensure the safe removal of trees. 

Two of these contractors will work over the weekend to continue the clear up.

We also have an emergency contractor who will deal with any out-of-hours emergencies.

Please report fallen or damaged trees on our website.

Report a fallen tree

Council service information

Updated 5:30pm Friday 18 February 

COVID-19 testing units

The UK Health Security Agency has advised that all COVID testing sites in Redbridge are closed to the public today.

Parks:

We ask that our residents not use the borough's parks on Friday, 18 February 2022. We will be securing those parks that we can do to discourage their use. 

 We will be monitoring the forecast closely over the next 24 hours, and if there are any changes, we will communicate these via the Vision and Redbridge Council social media accounts.

We will open all parks as soon as we consider them safe. We expect all parks to be open as usual on Saturday,19 February. 

Update: 5pm - Friday 18 February

Due to Storm Eunice and damage caused to trees and buildings in parks, all parks will remain closed whilst we undertake assessments on Saturday, 19 February 2022.

We will communicate any changes via the Vision / LBR website and social media accounts if there are any changes.

Register Office:

The Register Office at the Town Hall will be closed for appointments on Friday, 18 February. Please direct your enquiries to register.office@redbridge.gov.uk. 

The Register Office will be open as usual on Monday, 21 February.

Waste & Recycling

Due to increasingly severe winds, the waste collection service was not able to complete all collections today.

We are planning to catch up on Friday’s waste collections on Monday and Tuesday, although the weather is expected to continue to disrupt services. We apologise for any ongoing inconvenience.

In the meantime, please secure your waste as best you can, and please ensure your recycling is secure in the box by using a lid. 

Update: 5pm - Friday, 18 February 

We are planning to catch up on Friday's waste collections on Monday and Tuesday but that the weather is expected to continue to disrupt services. We apologise for any ongoing inconvenience.

Street Cleansing

Due to severe weather today (Friday 18 February) normal street cleansing services were suspended as our staff concentrated on emptying litter bins, collecting fly tipping and dealing with any reports of debris.

Chigwell Road Re-use and Recycling Centre

Due to the severe weather, Chigwell Road Re-use and Recycling Centre has had to close on Friday 18 February.

Children's Centres

Due to the severe weather all children's centres are closed on Friday 18 February. If you need to contact them please email childrens.centres@redbridge.gov.uk

Staying safe:

Please follow the advice issued by the Met Office to help you stay during Storm Eunice.

During the Storm:

• Stay indoors as much as possible
• If you do go out, try not to walk or shelter close to buildings and trees
• Keep away from the sheltered side of boundary walls and fences - if these structures fail, they will collapse on this side
• Do not go outside to repair damage while the storm is in progress
• If possible, enter and leave your house through doors in the sheltered side, closing them behind you
• Open internal doors only as needed, and close them behind you
• Take care when driving on exposed routes such as bridges, or high open roads, delay your journey or find alternative routes if possible
• Slow down and be aware of side winds. Particular care should be taken if you are towing or are a high sided vehicle
• Do not drive unless your journey is essential

After the Storm:

• Be careful not to touch any electrical/telephone cables that have been blown down or are still hanging
• Do not walk too close to walls, buildings and trees, as they could have been weakened
• Make sure that any vulnerable neighbours or relatives are safe and help them make arrangements for any repairs

Power cuts:

 The UK's electricity network is built to be resilient, but strong winds and heavy rain can bring down branches and trees, damaging overhead power lines. 

Residents will find regular updates and information about individual power cuts on www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk. 

They will also be posting general updates on @UKPowerNetworks

 Anyone experiencing a power cut should: 

•  Visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/powercut and type in their postcode to view our live power cut map, with details of individual power cuts
• Call 105 free of charge to speak to our customer service team, report a power cut or damage to the electricity network
• Tweet @UKPowerNetworks to report a power cut or to receive updates
• Visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk for the latest updates 

 We advise people to stay clear of power lines and report damaged power lines immediately by calling 105 free from a landline or mobile phone. If they see electricity lines that are down or causing significant risk to the public, they should call 999.