With the approach of the winter period where we expect snow and ice please be prepared when you set out on a journey, especially a long one. Being one of life’s pessimists I keep warm clothing, a tow rope, a NOCO battery charger to start cars whose battery has gone flat, traction mats and an air pump in my boot. This may be overkill given I mostly go no further than Selsdon and the council offices.
Even if you are of a more optimistic frame of mind there are some useful things to know at this time of year:
- The council grits the main roads but not side roads. You can find more details here.
- For residents use the council has 578 salt bins that are all repaired and filled at the start of each winter. You can find where they are here roads A-K and here roads L-Z. If the salt bin is low or empty, please report on LoveCleanStreets.
When spreading salt on your road, my advice is to use the contours of the ground to make life easy. Spread the salt at the high points of the road or pavement. The melting ice and snow will carry the now salty water downhill, doing some of the job for you.
Watch out for external water pipes leading to garden taps. These can freeze up. An insulating cover can help, or you can drain the external part of the pipework if you have a stop tap inside the house.
To avoid injury wear appropriate footwear and take extra care when walking out bearing in mind that pavements and elsewhere can be slippery and icy patches are not always easy to spot.
Happy New Year. Stay safe.
