22 February 2011
Join Ice Watch at Parkex
Register now for free tickets to the 3-day event in Birmingham.
Parkex 2011, Europe’s largest dedicated parking exhibition organised on behalf of the British Parking Association, will take place in Hall 4 at the NEC Birmingham from 29th – 31st March 2011.
Ice Watch will be providing visitors to Stand P182 with information about their forecasting, gritting and snow clearance service alongside over 120 of the leading suppliers of parking equipment and services.
Visitors will also be given a chance to win a prize in our free draw.
Register free online for fast-track entry or visit www.parkex.co.uk for more information.
20 January 2011
A Record-breaking winter
It’s been a busy time for Ice Watch with the early start to the winter in November and then the coldest December on record!
With an average temperature of -1 degrees Celsius, a full 5 degrees below the long-term average, December’s arctic blasts caused havoc on the roads and at airports. Fortunately for Ice Watch’s clients, our Operations team and Gritting Operators were on hand to keep their car parks open and enable business to continue as usual.
The first taste of winter came as early as 15 November for some parts of the country, with lows of -5 degrees Celsius resulting in some of our Gritting Operators making their earliest attendances ever.
19 November 2010
Winter has arrived
Forecasters are predicting a change to colder conditions as we head through the weekend and into next week, with the return of overnight frosts in many eastern regions of the UK.
Weatherquest forecaster John Law told the press: “We will have wintry showers and that might include some snow showers.
“But we have got to expect some cold conditions as we get into the winter months.”
Wintry frost has already made an early appearance for many of Ice Watch's clients this year.
The first short sharp chill of the winter saw temperatures drop as low as -4 and -5 degrees Celsius overnight on 14 and 15 November and, with 9 hours of frost forecast for some parts of the country, Ice Watch’s Gritting Operators made their earliest attendances ever at a number of our clients' sites to minimise the risk of a slip on ice or frost.
08 November 2010
Winter is nearly here!
Frost risks set to follow on from the wet and windy weather.
Wet and windy weather looks set to dominate immediate forecasts but UK organisations also need to ensure that they are prepared for the frost risk that could follow.
Ice Watch’s expanding client base, which includes a varied cross section of businesses and public sector organisations, take advantage of our cost-effective one-stop solution that includes daily localised forecasting, gritting, snow clearance and detailed record keeping.
The Health & Safety Executive requires all businesses to take action to reduce the risk of slips on ice, frost or snow. So if you’re dreading what the winter has in store, why not let Ice Watch help make the ice, frost and snow disappear, and save you time and money!
24 September 2010
Weather training with TV's Jim Bacon
Ice Watch team benefits from weather forecasting training from a well-known face.
Ice Watch were delighted to welcome weather forecaster and broadcaster Jim Bacon to their office to receive his insider’s guide to the science behind weather forecasting.
Jim, who has been a meteorologist for over 35 years, provided an insightful and inimitable guide to understanding forecasts and assessing the risks of frost and snow, which the Ice Watch team will draw upon when making decisions about the need to grit during the months ahead.
“The Ice Watch team is better prepared than ever for whatever the winter has for us this year,” Managing Director Paul Bowling said. “We’re in new larger premises, we’re fully stocked up, and with the advanced training Jim has provided, together with our daily localised forecasts from WeatherQuest, we’re better able than ever to consider all the different factors that govern weather conditions when making our risk assessments.
“For our clients, this means they can be confident we’ll make the right call when deciding whether to grit their premises.”
20 September 2010
New premises and plenty of salt
Ice Watch moves to new larger premises and stockpiles salt ahead of winter.
Ice Watch has ensured it is ready for another extreme winter by relocating to larger premises and stockpiling
substantial quantities of salt to safeguard against the potential supply problems that could be making headlines once again this winter.
With all the various items of salt spreading and snow clearing equipment prepared and calibrated, Ice Watch’s team of Gritting Operators are now raring to go.
“The team is larger than ever and continues to grow as we take on more and more sites,” explains Dean Harvey, Operations Manager.
“They’re all hands-on people who enjoy facing the elements, and every one of them does a great job and works really hard to keep our clients’ sites safe throughout the winter.”
27 July 2010
Government urged to prepare for winter
Panel recommends importing 250,000 tonnes of road salt following past two extreme winters.
The Government should import 250,000 tonnes of road salt to deal with a winter as bad as last year’s and all local authorities should review and update their winter plans, according to an interim report by the Winter Resilience Review panel.
The panel suggested that England could be up to half a million tonnes or more short of salt if winter 2010/11 is as severe as winter 2009/10.
08 July 2010
La Niña likely to develop in coming months
2010 could see a return of the disruptive weather phenomenon behind the icy conditions of late 2008.
The World Meteorological Organization has confirmed that La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific “are more likely than not to strengthen into a basin-wide La Nina over the coming months.”
La Niña is characterised by unusually cool ocean temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific, which can disrupt the normal patterns of tropical precipitation and atmospheric circulation with widespread impacts on climate in many parts of the world.
The WMO has said that it is likely that La Niña conditions will further develop in the next several months, although the timing and magnitude of such an event in 2010 are as yet uncertain.
25 May 2010
Donations for the British Heart Foundation and Christian Aid
Charities nominated after a draw of gritting operators' names
Every May Ice Watch puts the names of all its gritting operators into a hat and then invites the two that are drawn out to each nominate a charity to receive a donation. This year, Michael Smith from Barking Tye near Ipswich in Suffolk picked the British Heart Foundation and Burt Hunter from Consett in County Durham chose Christian Aid.
Ice Watch is delighted to be sending both charities cheques for £100.00 this week, with our warmest regards for their brilliant work.
21 April 2010
Keeping watch in changeable April
No time for rest for Ice Watch
April is a notoriously fickle month that has been known to throw not only showers at us but gale-force winds, scorching sun and chilling frosts and snow. The next few days should be sunny and dry for most of us but, just like during the rest of changeable April, the risk of frost – particularly under cold clear skies – still needs to be monitored.
For the rest of the month Ice Watch will continue checking forecasts and monitoring the risk of frost at our clients' sites while also pressing ahead with negotiations with suppliers and continuing to source additional warehouse storage for the company’s increasingly expanding requirements.
22nd March 2010
Ice Watch exhibits at ITS 2010
Local authorities offered economical solution to keeping car parks open
Ice Watch was delighted to welcome so many delegates to its stand at ITS2010 – Delivering Regional Transport Systems, a key event for individuals involved in transport policy.
The event, which was held at the London Barbican and featured a keynote address from Norman Baker MP, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary for Transport, enabled local authority representatives to hear how Ice Watch can provide an economical solution to the problem of gritting car parks so that shoppers can continue visiting UK towns and cities and utilising council-owned car parks throughout the winter.
26th February 2010
Visit Ice Watch at Parkex 2010
2-3 March at London's Earls Court
Visit us at Parkex 2010, Europe's largest dedicated parking exhibition, at Earls Court from 2-3 March.
Ice Watch and 120 other industry-leading companies will be present and exhibiting their innovative solutions in parking management. We’d be delighted to see you at stand F24, and if you enter our prize draw you might just win an Ice-Watch® wristwatch!
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