Hammersmith and Fulham Council has assured residents that its gritters have been hard at work keeping local roads clear as the Met Office issues new weather warnings for the weekend.

The Met warns that widespread ice is expected to form due to rain, sleet and snow falling onto sub-zero surfaces during the early hours of Saturday morning

The council says gritters have been out gritting main roads as a precaution against frost and ice. It explains that gritters are called out at 4am whenever a freeze is forecast, and spread four to eight tonnes of grit per night so major routes are frost-free by the morning rush.

The borough's roads have been divided into three levels of priority. The council says that first it will grit the borough’s busiest roads, including those with bus routes or a high risk of accidents in freezing conditions.

Other routes are then gritted as necessary. The three levels of priority are:

Priority A — Strategic routes, principal roads, important classified roads and bus routes
Priority B — All other classified roads, important unclassified roads and bus routes
Priority C — During long periods of lying ice or snow, minor access roads in hilly or exposed locations, and sometimes important footway routes, will be treated

From the time gritting lorries are called out, Priority A routes will be treated within 2 hours, Priority B routes within 4 hours and Priority C routes within 48 hours.

There is a map of priority roads here.

If you want to be sure of walking safely around the borough without slipping, there is a map of priority footways here.

The council said last week it had a full stock pile of 900 tonnes of grit ready and new footpath gritting machines to help keep local roads clear. It is offering a dedicated snow web page with alerts about school closures and any council services that might be affected by bad weather, such as snow and freezing conditions. Information will also be available on Twitter.

The council is also assuring local people they can now clear snow and ice from their paths and pavements, and those of their neighbours, without worrying that they could be liable if someone should slip and be injured.

If you have any questions about gritting or snow clearance, send an email to: highwaymaintenance@lbhf.gov.uk

 

 

December 6, 2010