Croydon contractors have spread 375 tonnes of grit along the equivalent length of 2,300 miles of road – further than the distance from London to Cairo – as the council’s response to snow and ice across the borough continues.
A total of around 140 people, from gritting teams to street cleaners, have been working to salt the borough’s roads and pavements, with priority going to main roads, town centres and bus routes, plus clearing access to hospitals, care homes, railway stations and schools.
Since 7pm on Friday 23 February, gritting teams have been covering the borough’s streets up to twice a night and twice a day. Once primary routes are done, secondary gritting routes are salted.
Footpath gritting has focused on town centres, local shopping parades and transport hubs, and residents can also use the borough’s 577 salt bins on their roads and pavements.
Most waste and recycling collections have continued as normal, although many roads remain inaccessible to Veolia’s vehicles. Where they cannot collect, residents are being contacted through My Account, and extra crews will return to missed collection sites when possible this weekend.
The council’s social care staff have been doing welfare checks on vulnerable service users, plus care providers and the council’s meals on wheels service have been checking people living on their own are warm and have enough food and drink to last the weekend.
Other council departments have been busy during the cold snap, from engineers providing tenants with extra heaters to outreach staff placing 15 rough sleepers in emergency accommodation.
Councillor Stuart King, cabinet member for transport and environment
“Our teams have been working around the clock to keep the borough going as normally as possible through this disruptive weather.
“Gritting has allowed most bin collections to be made as usual but many streets remain inaccessible to our vehicles, so we will return to do these as soon as we can and urge residents to bear with us in the meantime.
“There is still plenty of snow and ice forecast between now and early next week, so we urge you to continue to take extra care on the roads, keep an eye out for any vulnerable neighbours, and visit our website to keep updated.”
Visit the council website to see a cold weather and snow FAQ page. The council website also has tips for driving in snowy conditions plus advice for members of the public with concerns about a rough sleeper so they can get help.
