Cambridgeshire County Council is the authority responsible for maintaining roads and pavements. They spread grit on major roads, footpaths and cycle paths in cold weather.
We have responsibility for spreading grit to clear snow and ice on some areas of council owned or managed land.
- See a map of the county council’s gritting routes and more information about the gritting service.
- Check the Met Office’s weather warnings.
- Read the Met Office’s severe weather advice.
Our responsibilities
When snow is forecast or has fallen, we check the sites we are responsible for, and spread grit as required.
The list includes car parks, main footpaths on open spaces, public toilets, and some local shopping precincts and housing areas.
We grit city centre pavements on request of the county council. All other highway pavements are the responsibility of the county council, as are bridges, cycle paths and guided bus routes.
If prolonged snowfall prevents our other services from operating we will help the county council clear pavements and roads.
Grit bins
Filling grit bins is the responsibility of the county council – they are intended to be used only for public roads and footpaths.
If a grit bin is empty or running low, you can report it to the county council selecting the problem type as ‘Winter Maintenance’.
Tips for clearing snow and ice
Many residents are keen to help keep untreated pavements and pathways safe by clearing snow and ice. We encourage you to play your part in helping the community in this way and you can get involved with the county council Community Gritting Scheme.
GOV.UK provides advice about how to safely clear snow from a road, path or cycleway. It advises you to clear fresh snow instead of compacted ice, and spread salt or sand to prevent ice forming.
The law
You can clear snow and ice from pavements yourself. It’s unlikely that you’ll be sued or held responsible if someone is injured on a path or pavement if you’ve cleared it carefully. Use common sense to make sure you don't make the pavement or pathway clearly more dangerous than before.
People using areas affected by snow and ice also have a responsibility to be careful.
