In this communication:
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Driving in wet weather
Recent storms and changing climate conditions have seen heavier rainfall over shorter periods of time. This has caused some localised flooding in the district.
By driving differently in flood conditions, you will protect yourself and your vehicle, other people, and reduce the risk of flooding to nearby properties.
During spells of heavy or persistent rain, try to travel only if essential. If you are travelling, check the latest transport and travel information, and monitor weather updates.
The advice from motoring organisations and the emergency services is not to drive through flood water, and to respect road closures. Wherever possible, turn around and find a different route if the road is flooded. And always obey road closure signs and barricades.
If you can’t delay your travel, or use a different route, The AA advise to drive slowly in flood conditions for several reasons:
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If you have no choice than to drive through flooded roads, please be aware not to increase the likelihood that nearby properties will flood. Driving quickly through standing water creates a bow-wave which can then overflow sandbags and other defences that properties have put in place.
See live traffic information on the Hampshire County Council website.
You can also check for flooding and sign up for flood alerts on the government’s website.
Garden waste wheeled bins – use from April 2024
We have started to deliver wheeled bins for the new garden waste collection service, which begins in April.
You will only receive a garden waste wheeled bin if you have signed up and paid for garden waste wheeled bin collections.
If you are a garden waste wheeled bin customer, please do not use your bin for collections until after 1 April 2024. Otherwise, your garden waste may not be collected.
Find out more about garden waste bins, including how and when we will deliver them.
You can sign up and pay for garden waste wheeled bin collections on our website.
If you’re a current customer for the garden waste bag service, you will need to join the new service if you would like to continue your collections from April 2024.
In the future, we will be introducing weekly food waste collections, and wheeled bins for recycling and waste collections. Read about changes to collections from 2025 on our website.
Help for people facing homelessness
Support for people experiencing homelessness is available all year round. This support is even more important when cold or extreme weather occurs.
If you know of someone who is homeless or sleeping rough in the New Forest district, or you’re homeless or in a position where you might become homeless, please get in touch on our website.
Our teams are out in the district in all weather conditions and find solutions for rough sleepers and people facing homelessness. We work to ensure they are safe, listened to, and have the right support for their individual circumstances.
Have your say about beachfront facilities
Let us know how we can improve beachfront facilities at Barton on Sea and Milford on Sea.
You can give your views about the accessibility and appearance of public facilities in these areas. This includes beach shelters and toilets, which are provided and managed by us.
This project is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda. This provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. Visit the GOV.UK website for more information.
Improving air quality in the New Forest
Burning wood at home releases harmful gases into the air, including carbon monoxide, benzene, and formaldehyde. This is as well as particulate matter, such as soot and dirt, which can be harmful to our health and the environment.
Caroline, our environmental health technical officer, says: “We monitor air quality and have found that levels of particulate matter can rise in residential areas, especially in the evening. We’re continuing to research the sources, but we have found that a proportion of the increases in particulate matter will be from domestic wood burning. Understanding the facts about wood burning will help us all to make informed choices when heating our homes.”
Wednesday 24 January is Clean Air Night, which aims to raise awareness about the impacts of wood burning, and we work with the Environment Centre to share this information.
To help keep the air cleaner, they advise:
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Find more information and advice on the Environment Centre’s website.
Supporting social housing tenants
If you’re a social housing tenant living in the district and have an issue you would like to raise, you can find advice on the Social Housing Complaints website.
We’re supporting the government’s “Make things right” campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the ways that social housing tenants can access support if they have an issue with their homes or landlord.
If you’re a New Forest District Council housing tenant and have a concern about an issue you have already reported, you can contact our housing team by emailing
National Park Authority’s volunteer fair
The New Forest National Park Authority are hosting a volunteering fair on 28 January at Brockenhurst Village Hall from 10.30am to 4pm. Over 40 groups and organisations will be offering roles for all ages and abilities.
Find out more on the National Park Authority’s website.
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