weather

by

Snow Brings Power Cuts to Hambledon

ImageParts of Hambledon were without power today (Sunday Feb 5th) after overnight snow brought down a power line at Church Lane.

The morning service at St Peter’s Church was cancelled because snow made the lane impassable and the power cable was still live and producing sparks where it was in contact with the ground.

Engineers from Southern Electric were carrying out repairs and a fire engine was on standby at the junction of Church Lane.

Malthouse Lane and Woodlands Road were among areas without power but the village shop was not affected and was open as usual. Volunteers had cleared a path to the door.

Peter Knight, of Burgate Farm, cleared many of the smaller roads in the village as part of an agreement with the parish and county councils. He has been provided with a snow plough blade to fit to one of his tractors by Surrey County Council.

And SCC had gritted Hambledon Road before the snow fell and later went through with a snow plough.

ImageTim Coleman and Stewart Payne, part of the village volunteer team,  cleared branches from a tree that had been brought down by the weight of snow and was partially blocking Rock Hill.

Elsewhere, children were enjoying the snow and using toboggans in fields around the village.

Overall, the arrangements in place to deal with snow appeared to have worked well. Between three and four inches of snow fell in the late evening and the early hours of this morning and many roads were impassable for a time to all but four wheel drive vehicles.

But, because Hambledon Road had been spread with a mixture of salt and grit, the snow had largely melted away by this morning.

Details of Hambledon’s winter planning arrangements and contacts numbers can be found in the previous news item on the Latest News menu.

 

 

 

 

by

Update on Hambledon's Winter Planning

Wednesday 1st December

ImageOnce again Hambledon is in the grip of snow and freezing conditions, so it is a timely opportunity to review what plans have been put in place for this winter.

No one will need reminding of the disruption the village suffered during the heavy snow of January, when Hambledon was effectively cut off for a week and without power for three days.

 

This winter snow has arrived early, but the parish council has been working to ensure residents are not held hostage to the weather to the extent they were ten months ago.

With the help of Andrew Povey, our county councillor, we have been assured that Hambledon is included in the Priority One gritting network. This means that when freezing conditions are forecast, Hambledon Road will be treated along its full length through the village, although not until major roads have been gritted first.

This did not happen earlier this year because Surrey County Council was, in common with many other highways authorities, low on grit.  Officials have assured the parish that it is well stocked this year. However, side roads will not be gritted.  Peter Knight, at Burgate Farm, has kindly agreed to clear village roads of snow, when necessary, and has been provided with a snow plough blade by SCC. He is still waiting for engineers to visit him to make the necessary adaptations for it to be fitted to one of his tractors but this is scheduled to happen within the next few days. Continue reading →

by

New ice and pothole hazards

ImageSevere weather conditions are continuing to create problems on Hambledon’s roads.

A large pothole has opened up in the middle of the road at Lane End. It is so deep that nearby residents have had to fill it with bricks to reduce the danger of it shredding tyres. In addition, surface water turning to ice makes the road extremely hazardous at this location. Please approach with caution.

The pothole has been reported to Surrey County Council by Hambledon Parish Council. However, the length of time it took to speak to an operator on the emergency number suggests that SCC has been inundated with similar reports from across the county. Although details of the Lane End pothole have been passed to the Highway Department, SCC could not say when the road will be repaired.

There are, of course, other potholes throughout the parish. And with temperatures remaining below freezing point great care should be taken on all the village’s roads.

Potholes and other highways issues can be reported to Surrey County Council here

by

Village debate following recent power loss and snow-blocked roads. What can be done?

ImageFollowing the recent heavy snowfall, which led to lengthy power cuts, Hambledon Parish Council has written to Southern Electric (Scottish and Southern Energy) requesting it gives serious consideration to replacing overhead with underground cables and, in the meantime, trims back branches beside powerlines on a more regular basis.

Many residents have expressed their concern about the electricty supply as well as the failure by Surrey County Council to grit or clear village roads, all of which were unpassable for several days by anything other than four-wheel drive vehicles.

Several residents have asked what measures could we take as a community to prevent such lengthy disruption in the future.

It has been suggested there should by a village-wide campaign to urge Southern Electric to install underground cables as a matter of urgency. It has also been proposed that we recruit local contractors, ground workers and farmers to use their equipment to clear roads on our behalf.

This, of course, raises issues of cost, practicality, insurance and liability.

The Parish Council, at its last meeting on January 12, 2010, resolved to consider establishing a village emergency plan and would like to hear the views of residents by promoting a debate on this website. What are your suggestions?

So what do you think? What were the problems and what could be done to minimise the disruption next time? Please post your comments here on the forum.