Winter Weather – Some Useful Advice and Emergency Numbers

Winter is with us – and with it the re-introduction of restrictive Covid-19 measures – so this is a good time to take the necessary precautions in case of severe weather, power cuts or any other disruption that could affect daily routines.

The medical science indicates that the virus benefits from colder weather, so an extended lock-down in the months ahead could be very different from the first, which started in the early spring and with good weather and lighter evenings.

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Winter Weather Advice and Emergency Contacts

This is a timely reminder that this website has a section containing advice and emergency contacts and this has been updated for the 2019/20 season.

This information can be found clicking the snowflake icon in the right hand column headed Winter Weather Advice or by clicking on this link. 

Here you will find practical precautionary measures and details of how to contact service providers such as electricity and water companies.

The village has a team of volunteers who will do their best to assist residents if in need, and their  contact details can be found on the above link.

Two More Crashes at Hydestile Shut Salt Lane

For the second day running there has been a crash at the Hydestile Crossroads, and another collision just a few hundred yards away has completely blocked Salt Lane which is now closed to traffic.

Police closed Salt Lane at its junction with the crossroads to all traffic at around 9am today (Wednesday January 30th). It is closed along its entire length to Markwick Lane and beyond to Loxhill.

The crash at the crossroads itself involved two vehicles, and was relatively minor. The crossroads, and its approach down Salt Lane, is covered in ice and road conditions are treacherous.

The second accident was more serious as it has blocked the narrow, rural lane just above New Road. Two cars, traveling in opposite directions, have collided. Injuries appear to be minor. Police are in attendance.

As with the crossroads crash yesterday (see earlier news report), icy conditions are likely to have played a part. But it emphasises the need for Surrey County Council Highways Department to pay heed to the initiatives suggested by Hambledon Parish Council to tackle road safety in the village and its outlying rural lanes.

Salt Lane, on the Hambledon parish boundary is used by many as a cut-through between the A281 and the A3. With the likelihood of a major new housing development at Dunsfold, this narrow lane with passing places will inevitably become even more congested.

As for the crossroads at Hydestile, this has been regarded by locals as an accident black spot for many years and the parish council is in discussions with the highways authority and police to try to implement road safety measures along the length of Hambledon Road, from the Hydestile approach and though the village to Lane End.

 

 

Phone Box Repaired, Bins Emptied, Beware Potholes…and Your Snow Photos

Following the recent disruptive weather, a number of local services were affected.

However, all is back to normal after the sub-zero temperatures and snowfall of last week. The Friday bin collection was carried out two days later, on Sunday morning. The parish-council-owned grit bin at the top of Woodlands Road has been refilled. The Milk and More doorstep delivery did not happen on Saturday but is now operating to schedule.

And the phone box outside the village shop, which had developed a fault, has been repaired by BT engineers.

Potholes remain a problem and are likely to be more so after the freeze and thaw. Please contact Surrey County Council to report them, using the link on this website which can be found by clicking on the Home button on the top menu.

Finally, a lot of people were out-and-about in the village taking photographs of the snow. If you would like to share them on this website, please do so by using the Submit a Photograph button on the right side of the opening page and following the instructions. They will then be added by the web team to the Gallery section, where some snow photographs are already available to view.

 

Winter Weather – An Update on Bin Collection and Other Matters

Hambledon has shivered along with the rest of the country with temperatures plunging to -8C (please see latest photos under the Gallery menu)  but it was only in the last two days that snow caused a problem.

Although there were several relatively minor accidents in the lanes around the village, Hambledon remained open for business and credit goes to the village shop, which offered free deliveries to customers using volunteers in 4-wheel-drive vehicles if needed, and to the nursery school, which remained open all week when many other schools closed.

Stephanie Campbell, school secretary, said a great deal of effort went into keeping the steep entrance, car park and pathways clear of ice and snow. “We enjoyed fun snow play at the nursery school, warming up with hot chocolate when it got chilly outside.”

The Merry Harriers welcomed customers with a big log fire and hot food. The church, however, has had to cancel its Sunday services because snow remains on the steep Church Lane approach.

Hambledon Road, which was regularly gritted by Surrey County Council, is now clear of snow. Other lanes were gritted by local people and thanks go to them for keeping the village on the move. Most of the grit bins belong to SCC and it is responsible for refilling them. The parish council owns and maintains the bin at the top of Woodlands Road and this will be refilled over the weekend.

The Friday waste collection did not happen but please leave your bins out as Waverley Borough Council has advised they will be emptied over the next few days.

The payphone kiosk outside the village shop is currently out of order but the fault has been reported to BT which has said it has alerted its engineers and expects the repair to be carried out early in the coming week.

Hambledon Parish Council has a team of volunteers with 4-wheel drives, chain saws etc, ready to help out in the event of weather-related disruption and a link to them and other helpful numbers can be found on the opening page of this website. Please contact Stewart Payne, in the first instance, on 07831 393561. Arthur Frearson has joined the volunteer team and can be reached on 01428 683812 or 01252 722973. Please do not contact Tim Coleman or Nick Watson for the time being as both are unavailable.

If a grit bin near to you is in need of a refill please contact Stewart who will put in a request to Surrey County Council.

Our photographs show a snow covered Rock Hill, outside the nursery school; Church Lane and the listed red payphone outside the shop and post office.

Major Travel Disruption After High Winds

UPDATE – As of 17:39 all train lines have been reopened, but trains are running with some delays.

UPDATE – As of 12:45 Thursday 18th Jan, there is still no rail service to or from Witley, Milford, Godalming or Farncombe because of a fallen tree at Milford, which has caused extensive signalling damage. Disruption is expected to continue until 16:00. You can check the status of this disruption using the following link: https://www.journeycheck.com/swr/search?from=&to=WTY .

High winds overnight have brought down large numbers of trees, blocking roads and rail lines across the county, including at Hambledon Road and Milford Station.

South Western Railway reports that a fallen tree is blocking the line at the station and engineers are working to clear it (as of 9am Thursday 18th). Rail replacement transport is in place.

A fallen tree is completely blocking Hambledon Road close to Clock Barn Farm, so the direct route to Godalming from the village is impassable. Given the scale of tree debris across the area it may take some time before the road can be reopened.

There are long weather-related delays on the A3, M25 and A281.

Many other routes are affected by fallen trees and other debris and travellers are advised to use the contacts on this website’s winter weather page to check for further details. The link can be found at the top right of the opening page.

 

Wise Up For Winter

Hambledon Parish Council has an Emergency Plan procedure in place in the event of harsh winter weather bringing disruption to the village.

However there are many simple precautions people can take to make sure they can cope with cuts to power supplies and phone lines, a problem that has affected Hambledon in the recent past and usually caused by high winds or heavy snow.

If power fails so to do household phones as many cannot function without electricity. As a safeguard, make sure you have a stand-by phone that does not need a power supply. The council has a small supply of such phones and if you require one please leave your details at the village shop.

Frosty Hambledon, November 30th, 2016

Mobile phones lines can also fail during severe weather and it is worth remembering that the public phone box outside the village shop does not require electricity and will continue to work unless overhead lines have been brought down. Operator, reverse charge and 999 calls are free but you will need to use a bank card for all other calls.

Keep torches handy and make sure that you have a supply of batteries. A battery-operated radio will also come in useful for listening to local radio bulletins. Tune in to BBC Surrey on 104.6FM or Eagle Radio on 96.4FM.

The village website will also carry updates at www.hambledonsurrey.co.uk.

Please keep an eye on your neighbours, particularly those living alone or infirm, especially during cold spells and weather-related disruption.

If conditions are severe the Emergency Plan volunteers will do their best to assist with any individual issues as well as deal with general problems around the village such as fallen branches/snow blocking roads, paths and drives and maintaining contact with external agencies.

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