ALL schools in Salford were closed Friday as temperatures plunged to minus 17.6C.

Salford City Council planned to conduct an assessment of roads around schools to see if they could reopen on Monday.

Bin collection is suspended on Friday so staff could focus on gritting roads. Salford City Council has also suspended all green bin collections scheduled to take place Saturday (January 8) and Monday (January 10). The council said it will resume all bin collections as soon as possible.

Several youth centres are also set to open including:

• Beacon youth centre from 2.30pm to 4.30pm for a sexual health clinic and 5.00pm to 8.00pm for open youth provision
• Bridgewater youth centre from 6.00pm to 9.00pm for open youth provision
• Clifton youth centre from 5.30pm to 8.30pm for open youth provision.
• Irlam youth centre from 1.30pm to 4.30pm for a sexual health clinic and 4.30pm to 7.30pm for open youth provision

There are some disruption to the adult services. Home and domiciliary care, residential care, intermediate home support and Meals on Wheels are all operating, though still subject to some delays.

Equipment service will be running as usual on Friday

And older people's day care centres are open as well as St George's day centre for people with learning difficulties.

CONSULTATION events to discuss the Bridgewater Masterplan have been cancelled. Salford City Council has deciced to cancel the Consultation Bus events scheduled to take place tomorrow (Saturday, January 9) at Sandfield Centre, Boothstown, and Bridgewater Mill carpark, Patricroft.

It is expected that all libraries will be open as usual on Saturday but customers are advised to contact their libraries before visiting.

The Museum and Art Gallery is open. It is expected that the Museum and Art Gallery will be open between 1.00pm and 4.00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Please call: 0161 778 0800 before travelling if you are planning a visit.

But the bad weather brought out the best in many residents, with some going out of their way to help those hindered by the snow. Worsley resident Linda Ford gave flasks of tea to wagon drivers who were stuck on the A572 Worsley Road.

Linda said: "They were stuck on the hill from about 6am onwards. They could not move up the hill. There is about six inches of the snow. Smaller cars have been able to move a bit but these large HGV are stuck."

NHS Salford & Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust have appealed to members of the public for their support as the region experiences heavy snow falls.

Salford City Council leader Councillor John Merry said: "I have been so impressed by the way the city has responded to this.

"Our residents have been very patient and understanding for the most part and I’d like to thank them for that.

"Our staff and the agencies we work with had the same problems getting to work as everyone else did but they showed their commitment and dedication by walking in in some cases. On behalf of the city, I’d like to thank them.

"There was some disruption because of the weather but key services such as home care visits continued, we rang every one of our 136 meals on wheels residents to make sure they had enough food. For the handful of people who didn’t we were able to go out and take them something.

"Our gritting teams have been working around the clock since the first snowfall before Christmas.

"They prioritised the city’s primary routes, in line with our winter response plan, and have kept them open throughout. We have spread more than 2,000 tons of grit and covered some 12,000kms since the start of December."

NHS Salford and Salford Community Health issued the following update on Thursday on how healthcare services in Salford are beating the ice and snow:

GP Surgeries - 54 out of 57 GP surgeries in Salford are open, though some are offering a reduced service. The three understood to be closed are The Willows, Chapel MC & Horizion surgeries. An out of Hours GP service will operate tonight as usual - but home visits may be limited by the extreme weather. Please call 0161 212 4366.

Pharmacies - All Pharmacies in Salford are now open and able to offer you advice on common winter illnesses and the medicines you need to treat them.

Dentists - Please ring your dentist before setting off. The Emergency Dental Service based in Swinton is operating tonight. The number is 0161 785 0805.

Dr Julie Higgins, Director of Public Health for NHS Salford, said: "The outstanding dedication of frontline staff has meant services have been delivered to an almost normal level. However with more freezing temperatures forecast, we’re certainly not out of the woods yet."

Salford Community Health confirmed that all essential visits were made yesterday and today. A SCH spokesperson said that "colleagues were working incredibly hard to keep services going through these challenging conditions."

People in Salford interested in NHS Salford and other issues can ‘follow’ NHS Salford via www.twitter.com/nhssalford or visit www.salford.nhs.uk

Visit www.salford.gov.uk for the latest information on services provided by Salford Council.

Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust - For the latest information on the hospital visit www.srft.nhs.uk

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