Council's 24 hour emergency line

Members of the public are being urged to only use a council's 24-hour emergency line in genuine cases of need as heavy snow sweeps across the area.

Powys County Council’s 'Careline' acts as a hub for out-of-hours emergency calls. As well as a liaison point between the council and the emergency services, it receives emergency calls from the public, and also vulnerable members of the community who have personal alarms and are in need of emergency assistance.

During the recent cold weather, the number of calls received by Careline increased threefold, with many not being genuine emergencies.

Councillor Russell George, Powys County Council’s Board Member for Customer Services explains: "During the recent period of cold weather, Careline was placed under immense pressure with a large number of non-emergency calls received. This resulted in delays responding to genuine cases of emergency.

"In the worst case scenario, this could mean the difference between life and death. So we are asking all residents to only call this number when they are being faced with a situation that cannot wait until the next working day."

Non-emergency calls can be made to Powys County Council’s general enquiries line on 0845 6027030 / 01597 827460 which is open Monday-Thursday 8.30am–5pm and Friday 8.30am-4.30pm. Highways can be contacted on 0845 6027035 / 01597 827465. The council’s website – www.powys.gov.uk - also contains information and advice concerning winter weather services.

Cllr George added: "We appreciate the winter weather causes disruption and difficulties for many, but we ask residents to only call the Careline when absolutely essential. This will ensure we are able to help those who are in a genuine emergency."