Croydon Council gritting teams have been out overnight clearing snow and ice from the borough’s streets.
Around 150 miles of the borough’s roads accessing major through routes, schools, 999 services and public transport got priority salting yesterday evening to limit the amount of ice and snow settling.
From around 1am council teams resalted these roads and moved onto other roads and pavements, and gritting will continue with freezing temperatures forecast for the next 24 hours.
The council store holds over 3,000 tonnes of grit to keep the borough’s main roads clear this winter. It has also topped up the 570 grit bins spread across the borough, with local residents reminded that this is for the use of motorists at key locations, and not for taking away to spread on driveways.
A contract for delivery of more salt is also in place with a guarantee from the supplier they will keep 10,000 tonnes in reserve for the exclusive use of Croydon and two neighbouring boroughs.
Croydon Council has a sophisticated system for planning and monitoring gritting routes to ensure as many people as possible are able to safely use their cars and that buses can continue to run throughout periods of snow or ice.
Every vehicle can be followed in real time thanks to on-board tracking technology which also records exactly how much grit has been used in each location.
For more information on how to keep safer during snowy weather, visit the council website. This includes pages with a list of gritting routes.
Light snow is forecast for this morning with a mix of moderate showers, which should clear the area by around midday. For more forecasts, visit the Met Office website.
Parents are advised to check if their child’s school is affected by the adverse weather with the school directly.
Schools are not obliged to inform the council of closures. It is their responsibility to let parents know their intentions.
Most schools upload any closure information on the London Grid for Learning Open Check system. To check which schools have done this, visit: https://opencheck.atomwide.com/default.aspx
Residents are also being urged to look out for any vulnerable neighbours who may need help. For a checklist, visit the NHS Choices website, which also includes information from Public Health England.
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