OPEN ALL HOURS OVER CHRISTMAS
24/12/04 - For many people Christmas is a time to take a break and enjoy some festive fun. However, for some Darlington Borough Council workers, it's a case of business almost as usual as round the clock emergency cover is provided to cater for any eventuality in the Borough and the usual twenty four hour cover is provided for other services.
From cooking Christmas breakfast to looking after the day to day care of older people and those with special needs, The Council's Home Care Services team will be working throughout the festive period to make sure their clients have a happy, healthy and safe Christmas and New Year. Over forty Home Care workers will be visiting around 250 clients over Christmas, sometimes up to four visits a day, doing day to day tasks for them such as helping them to get up and dressed, cooking, take medicines and any other personal care needed.
Teams on call over the festive period include Horticultural Services who are on standby in case of storm damage to trees and who have worked almost round the clock in previous years to keep the Borough's roads clear and residents' homes safe. The Highways and Community Services Gritting team provide around the clock emergency cover for all the main roads of Darlington, not just throughout the festive period but throughout the winter. They keep a close eye on the weather using the latest technology and ensure that the roads are safe.
Social Services Emergency Duty Teams, Highways and Council House Repair teams will be providing out of hours cover as normal over the festive period.
Keeping a watchful eye on all that happens in Darlington throughout the festive period and beyond, is the Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) Team who monitor over 100 cameras around the Borough helping to ensure that car parks and streets are kept crime free. The CCTV Control Room team also monitor calls to the Council's Warden Link Scheme, a lifeline for local pensioners who may need emergency assistance at any time of the day or night.
Refuse Collection Teams will be picking up all the Christmas refuse between Christmas and New Year. The amount collected at this time is expected to double with more than 200 tonnes collected each day of the holidays (except Bank Holidays and weekends). The Council's Street Cleaning Teams will be providing the normal holiday cover and will be working extra hard over then festive period as the number of people using the town centre day and night increases.
John Williams, the Leader of Darlington Council said:
"Whilst everyone knows about the and unsocial hours worked by the traditional emergency services, many are not aware of the teams of Council employees who work hard year after year throughout the festive period to ensure that everyone in Darlington has a happy, healthy and safe Christmas."