Anger rises over ungritted pavements and cycle paths amid icy weather - as London council says it's not worth it

"One commuter based in Islington, North London, wrote on social media: 397 a month council tax and they can't even put a bit of grit in the roads. Death trap out there today. Simon O' Farrell from Richmond added: Disgraceful lack of gritting around Whitton. Roads and pavements icy. People sliding around all over the place. It's winter, it's icy. We pay a fortune for council tax. Get on with it! Atrocious ice in SW London. Main high street almost impossible to walk on. Useless councils, said another. The Councils in London are not even bothered about gritting the roads after a snowy morning. All the pathways and main roads are filled with ice all day. That's a disaster waiting to happen, another added."

"The council website says: Kingston deems the footway and cycleway network to carry less risk with regards to winter weather than the carriageway asset. The Council has assessed the number of complaints, reports of accidents and claims made against the Authority and has deemed that no precautionary gritting of footways or segregated carriageways is necessary. Therefore, the policy for footways is to provide a reactive service and gritting only takes place in priority areas where snow has formed or accumulated. Salt on the footway is spread manually and therefore there are no set spread rates."

Each London borough is responsible for managing and gritting local roads and nearby pavements, typically prioritising main routes and hills. Commuters reported icy pavements, roads and train station platforms and criticised councils for not gritting in advance. Social media complaints cited council tax payments and described hazardous, slippery conditions on high streets and residential areas. Kingston Upon Thames borough has no precautionary gritting policy for footpaths or segregated carriageways, judging them lower risk than carriageways. Kingston provides reactive gritting only where snow has accumulated, spreads salt on footways manually and has no set spread rates. Kingston updates its Winter Service Plan annually.

Read at www.standard.co.uk