In locations boroughwide for residents use to clear icy paths & pavements

The additional salt bins are to be stationed at key locations across the borough so that residents have a ready supply of grit close at hand if they decide to clear snow and ice from footpaths around their homes.

The new bins should appear across neighbourhoods within the next few days, bringing the total number in the borough to 40.

Twenty salt bins were placed on street corners towards the end of last year ahead of the recent cold snaps. Their success and popularity among residents has prompted the council to double their number.

Each bin contains one tonne of grit or salt for residents to use. These are repeatedly refilled during icy spells.   They have been placed in areas most badly affected by icy weather like hilly parts of the borough and also near to schools, hospitals and old people’s homes.

Transport spokesman Cllr Ravi Govindia said:
“Putting salt bins out for people to use in their neighbourhoods is one way the council can support residents when the weather turns icy.  One of the lessons we learned last winter was that many people were quite willing to clear snow and ice from pavements near their homes- but didn’t have the salt or grit to do it. The 20 bins we had put out before last week’s cold snap have proved enormously popular which is why we have now doubled their number.”

As well as introducing salt bins, the council supplied more than 200 neighbourhood watch co-ordinators with between 50 and 100 kilos of salt for use in their streets during the last cold snap.

The council has echoed the Government’s guidance to residents about clearing ice from footpaths.  Visit www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_191868 for more information.

  January 12, 2011