Accounts

Guide

Prepare for winter or severe weather

Publication date
9 October 2025

What this guide is

As a council, we’re prepared to deal with winter or severe weather before, during and after it happens. This is to ensure that we keep you safe and moving throughout the winter period.

Read the information on this page to ensure you’re prepared for:

  • snow and ice
  • flooding
  • frozen pipes
  • fallen trees.

Check UK weather warnings (Met Office website).

Snow and ice

Grit bins

Find your nearest grit bin using our online map.

Request a grit bin refill on our roads and lighting form, and we'll get to it as soon as we can.

Road gritting and snow clearance

We’re responsible for maintaining the public road network in Renfrewshire. This does not include motorways and trunk roads (M8, A8 at Langbank, A737 and Erskine Bridge), which are the responsibility of Transport Scotland.

As part of our maintenance duties, we provide 24-hour cover to respond to snow and ice using multiple gritting vehicles that either:

  • spread rock salt on the roads to prevent ice forming
  • use ploughs to remove snow during heavy periods of snowfall.

Find out more about our gritting routes.

Paths and driveways

Keeping paths and driveways clear ensures that everyone can maintain access to local services.

You can borrow a grit spreader, snow shovel and grit from our ‘Team Up to Clean Up’ community caddies. Find out more about borrowing equipment.

Supporting those around you

If you're worried about a relative or elderly neighbour, get advice by:

If you're concerned that the person may have hypothermia, phone 111 to contact NHS 24.

Get more tips on preparing for and coping with the winter months (Ready Scotland website).

Flooding

Report blocked drains or severe flooding

Report a blocked drain or flooding issue online.

If it’s an emergency, phone us on 0300 300 0380.

Find out if you live in a flood risk area

Find out if you live in a flood risk area (SEPA website). Enter your postcode to see a map showing flood risk in your area.

To get flood updates, you can:

Check expected flooding in the next three days (SEPA website).

How to prepare for flooding

Get information about preparing for flooding on the Ready Scotland website.

The information includes:

  • how to prepare a food plan and family emergency kit
  • steps to take to prepare your home for flooding
  • what you need to remember during a flooding incident.

Our priorities during a flooding incident

Our priority at the council is to act immediately on any threat or danger to life. We work closely with the emergency services in sharing our resources.

We’ll have teams on site at known hotspots to clear standing water and clear overwhelmed drains.

We may have teams working to take down dangerous trees if the flooding is accompanied by gale force winds.

Evacuation from an area (by us or emergency services) is done only when absolutely necessary. In the event of evacuation, we’ll set up a rest centre close by to accommodate you.

How to recover from a flooding incident

Get information about recovering from flooding on the Ready Scotland website.

The information includes:

  • steps to take before attempting to re-enter your home
  • tips on who to contact for help
  • resources for those affected by flooding.

Frozen pipes

Avoid frozen or burst pipes

Ensuring pipes and water tanks are insulated is an easy, affordable way to protect your home from winter weather.

Find out how to protect your pipes from freezing and bursting (Scottish Water website).

If your pipes freeze or burst:

  • turn off the stop valve immediately – this is usually located under the sink or close to the hot water system
  • turn on all cold taps to drain the system – do not turn on hot taps, as this can cause the hot water cylinder to collapse
  • flush all toilets – collect water in the bath for washing and flushing the toilet, if needed
  • switch off the central heating and immersion heater.

Ensure that you have a number for a registered plumber if your pipes do freeze or burst.

If the issue is with a burst water main, phone Scottish Water on 0345 601 8855.

If you live in a council home

Find out more about preventing frozen pipes or reporting a burst pipe.

If you live in a council home, find out how to report a housing repair.

Fallen trees

Phone us on 0300 300 0380 to report a fallen tree.