Advice welcomedfor wintry weather

West Sussex County Council has welcomed Government advice to people on keeping pavements and public spaces around their homes clear of snow and ice.

A series of guidelines have been published as part of a report that says: “Last winter many people helped keep pavements and public spaces around their homes clear of snow. However, many people were put off doing so because of fears of being sued.

“There is no law stopping you from clearing snow and ice on the pavement outside your property, pathways to your property or public spaces.

“If an accident did happen, it would be highly unlikely you would be sued as long as you are careful, and use commonsense to make sure you don’t make the pavement or pathway clearly more dangerous than before.”

Lionel Barnard, Deputy Leader of West Sussex County Council who has responsibility for roads and transport, said: “I really welcome this clear advice from the Government because the prospect of being sued was a major concern last winter for residents and communities who only wanted to help themselves during extreme conditions.

“I am anxious for this advice to be as widely publicised as possible, so that people know that they can help themselves so long as they use good, old fashioned commonsense.”

The advice can be found at the website www.direct.gov.uk

Top tips are:

n Start early - it’s much easier to clear fresh, loose snow compared to compacted ice that has been compressed by people walking on it.

n Don’t use hot water - this will melt the snow, but may replace it with black ice, increasing the risk of injury.

n Be a good neighbour - some people may be unable to clear snow and ice on paths from their property.

n If shovelling snow, think where you are going to put it so that it doesn’t block people’s paths or drainage channels.

n Make a pathway down the middle of the area to be cleared first, so you have a clear surface to walk on

n Spreading some salt on the area you have cleared will help stop ice forming - table salt or dishwasher salt will work, but avoid spreading on plants or grass as they may be damaged by it.

n Pay particular care and attention to steps and steep gradients.

n Use the sun to your advantage - removing the top layer of snow will allow the sun to melt any ice beneath; however you will need to cover any ice with salt to stop it refreezing overnight.

n If there’s no salt available, sand or ash are good alternatives.

The guidance also says people using areas affected by snow and ice also have a responsibility to be careful themselves.

The county council will be following up the message with further advice to local communities on what should happen in public areas like shopping streets and schools as part of the actions promised at the Snow Summit held earlier this year to review how public services coped with the extreme conditions last winter.

The council also recently staged its annual ‘Operation Snowflake’.

The exercise is held at the council’s five highway depots across West Sussex to ensure the county’s gritting procedures are rehearsed and ready to be put into action.

Gritting vehicles, snow ploughs and other equipment were tested and drivers briefed on the call-out procedures that are activated when cold weather hits.

The county’s fleet of gritters also travelled across West Sussex on a ‘dry run’ to check the drivers were familiar with the routes they will be covering over the winter period.

There is more advice on the Road Winter Maintenance pages of www.westsussex.gov.uk