Taking care when walking outside in icy weather

Please take extra precautions when you are outside in icy weather.

Surfaces can become slippery during cold periods, so we must take extra care to prevent falls and injuries.

Look ahead for patches of ice on footpaths and pavements - they can be darker or shiny patches. Plan your next few steps to avoid them.

If you are walking on icy patches, take short steps. Keep your hands out to protect your face and head if you fall.

Icy ponds and water

If you're out and about in Hounslow’s parks and open spaces, please avoid going near frozen ponds, lakes and rivers. Here is some information from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) that will help:

• Please do not walk onto the ice and prevent children from doing so.
• Do not attempt to break the ice or skate on it. The potential consequences are that you could fall into the freezing water below the surface or become stranded.
• Please keep children away from stretches of icy water.
• If you see someone falling through the ice, do not go onto the ice after them.
• Call the emergency services and tell the person in the water to keep still to conserve their energy.
• Find something that will extend your reach - a rope, a pole, a branch or an item of clothing.
• Reach out to the person in the water with the object.  Make sure you are stable by lying down or getting someone to hold you and attempt to pull them to shore.
• If you can’t find something to reach them, try to find something that will help keep them afloat until help arrives.
• If the rescue is successful, the person should be kept warm and treated for shock. Anyone who falls through the ice into the water should be taken to hospital.