Find out about changes to our services and Christmas opening times on our Festive information page. To find out when your bin will be collected over the festive period, visit Changes to County Durham bin collections at Christmas.

Due to maintenance, the following systems will be unavailable from 11.45am on Tuesday 24 December until 8.00am on Thursday 2 January: our online Council Tax, business rates and housing benefit services, and our welfare assistance form. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Emergency plans and planning

Whether you are a householder, a business or a community, it's important to plan ahead to avoid being caught out in emergencies. Find out what is in place to minimise the risks posed by emergency situations and what help and advice is available.

If you are in immediate danger call 999 or see our emergency contacts information.

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Severe weather like heavy snow or flooding, power cuts and other emergency situations can affect us all at one time or another.

Householders

Follow our emergency safety advice to make sure you're prepared for any situation you find yourself in.

Businesses, voluntary organisations and care services

Could your business deal with an emergency? Planning ahead for emergencies will help minimise the risk to your day to day operations.

Local communities

We've put together a guide to help local communities plan for emergency situations. These plans do not replace the work of the local authority, emergency services and others professional organisations but help communities improve their resilience should an emergency situation arise. Download the 6 step guide below: