Cold weather warning

The Met Office has warned of ice affecting London & South East England between 6pm today (Tuesday 17 January) and 10am tomorrow (Wednesday 18 January).

Ice is likely to cause difficult driving conditions overnight into Wednesday morning. There will also be icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths. 

Our crews will be gritting roads, bus routes and some smaller roads to keep local traffic moving. Gritters remain on standby and will take appropriate action following the latest weather forecasts. 

We also continue to grit some key pavements and pathways, particularly near:

• town centres
• hospitals
• schools
• pedestrian subways
• bridges and
• railway stations 

Please find out more about our gritting routes. 

Community Living Rooms

Redbridge Council, in partnership with a range of organisations in the borough, has established a network of 17 Community Living Rooms, which are warm and welcoming places for residents to use. You are invited to visit any of the places listed during their opening times.

Tips to keep you and your family warm

Follow these tips to keep you, your family and those around you warm and well in extremely cold weather:

• Draw your curtains at dusk and keep your doors closed to block out draughts
• Have regular hot drinks and eat at least one hot meal a day if possible. Eating regularly helps keep energy levels up during winter
• Wear several light layers of warm clothes (rather than one chunky layer).
• Keep as active in your home as possible
• Wrap up warm and wear shoes with a good grip if you need to go outside on cold days
• If you have reduced mobility, are 65 or over, or have a health condition such as heart or lung disease, you should heat your home to at least 18c. It's a good idea to keep your bedroom at this temperature all night if you can and make sure you wear enough clothes to stay warm
• If you're under 65 and healthy and active, you can safely have your house cooler than 18c; if you're comfortable
• Listen to the weather forecast bulletins on the radio and TV regularly to keep up to date with the weather. Severe weather warnings are issued on the Met Office website, through the Met Office Twitter feed, or you can ring the Weather Desk on 0870 900 0100

Travel carefully in icy weather

• Icy pavements and roads can be extremely slippery. Take extra care if you go out, and wear boots or shoes with a good grip on the soles. The Met Office advises putting grit or cat litter on paths and driveways to lessen the risk of slipping.
• Bear in mind that black ice on pavements or roads might not be visible, and snow may turn to ice and become slippery.

 Look in on vulnerable neighbours and relatives

• Check up on friends, relatives and neighbours who may be more vulnerable to cold weather. Cold weather is especially dangerous for older people or people with serious illnesses
• People with heart or respiratory (breathing) problems may have worse symptoms during a cold spell and for several days (up to four weeks) after temperatures return to normal