Since April last year I have on a number of occasions asked for action to improve part of the footpath on Potterhouse Terrace. Unfortunately I have again had to ask as nothing has been done. Hopefully something will happen soon as this is supposed to be a council adopted footpath.
We are pushing the owners to improve the look of the Mercia side of the site where Asda is. The landscaping has almost disappeared in many places and the crossing markings are barely visible. The whole area is looking a bit of tired mess now and needs some TLC.
I attended the planting of a tree at the shops today and got stuck in with digging the hole. The WI raised the funds for the tree to commemorate the anniversary this year of the national WI.
The Silver Birch should look great as is grows.
Residents complained about the amount of surface material coming off the road and we asked for pavement and road cleaning which was done, however the situation got worse and Amanda has had to ask for more action. We saw sweepers out today and will be checking to see if the work is complete and following up if not.
We need everyone to support the mobile post office in the village until a new home can be found for a permanent service.
The mobile post office is open 9.30am to 12.30pm on Friday mornings outside Framwellgate Moor Community Centre. There’s plenty of parking round the back.
The more people use it the more it keeps the pressure on to get a full reinstatement.
We are still pushing for one of the local businesses to take on the service.
Head of Neighbourhoods sent this out earlier. A lot of work going in around the County.
Clean and Green
During the early hours of this morning we have attended several incidents relating to fallen trees. In the north we attended to 2 trees that had fallen at Lumley, 1 at Nettlesworth, 1 at Durham (Carville) and 1 at Medomsley. In the south 1 tree had fallen at Trimdon and 1 at Sedgefield. All of the incidents are now complete.
This morning crews are currently responding to seven calls relating to fallen trees. Incidents have been prioritised and crews are on site.
Refuse and Recycling
The windy weather is causing loose materials (such as recycling) to be blown about and in some instances bins to fall over. Our clean and green teams are working with refuse to ensure any materials are cleared as far as possible, although this may take time. If it is collection day, residents are asked to ensure bins and boxes are secure as possible and once bins are emptied, if possible they should be taken back to properties.
Household Waste Recycling Centres
Tudhoe, Annfield Plain, Roman Way and Coxhoe sites are closed due to the windy weather. Different sites may be affected during the day and we will keep the web page and Customer Services staff updated.
Buildings and Facilities Maintenance Service
Overnight B&FM had no weather related call outs.
The Property Helpdesk has received 2 calls for assistance since opening at 8.00am.
Etherley Lane Primary – Tree blown down at entrance
West Rainton Fence – Wooden fence blown down
Highway Service
Highways Services had a limited number of calls relating to the high winds, the only call related to a tree down at Ouston which caused some property damage and was dealt with accordingly. Emergency response teams remain on duty today to deal with any further issues.
There are currently no road closures as a result of the high winds. If the position does change this will be included in road closure updates on the Council website.
Street Lighting
Due to the high winds we have had one wood pole down and a further incident of a tree blowing down bringing overheads down at the same location on the B6312, Woodland Terrace between Sacriston and Nettlesworth.
Further Updates:
Staff from across the services will continue to monitor and react accordingly, including out of hours through usual procedures.
Information will be posted on the Councils website:
http://www.durham.gov.uk/article/11188/Weather-disruption-Wednesday-11-January
http://www.durham.gov.uk/alerts
If you wish to report an issue in your area please either contact us by telephone 03000 261000 or e-mail at help@durham.gov.uk.
We have requested road sweepers for many streets in the area over recent weeks, particularly in Pity Me and Framwellgate Moor. The Council appears to only do road sweeping these days when requested rather than proactively. It does seem though that when requests are made, the work gets done, although we do have to ask more than once sometimes.
If you notice any streets with a lot of leaves/dirt on the road or pavement, please let us know and we will request action. the sooner they are cleared the less chance of blocked drains and flooding, or accidents.
All the best to everyone for the New Year. Let’s hope 2017 can be a little more liberal than 2016.
Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas. If you have elderly neighbours or someone living on their own nearby, perhaps pop round and say hello over the weekend!
The Post Office is still set to close on Dec 30th. From January 13th, a mobile service looks set to operate at the front of the Community Centre but it will only be there for a few hours each Friday. Clearly half a day a week is not what anyone wants to see. We need a full time post office in Framwellgate Moor. As local Lib Dem councillors we will continue to try and find a solution but it is not looking good.