Clearing snow and ice

We share responsibility for spreading grit to clear snow and ice with the county council.

City council responsibilities

When snow is forecast or has fallen, we check the sites we are responsible for, and spread grit as required.

• List of sites that we check for gritting [PDF, 18KB]

The list includes car parks, main footpaths on open spaces, public toilets, and some local shopping precincts and housing areas. We will respond to areas not on this list as required.

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.

We also assist local community groups by providing bags of grit where requested, subject to availability.

County council responsibilities

Cambridgeshire County Council is the authority responsible for maintaining the county's roads and pavements. They spread grit on major roads, footpaths and cycle paths in cold weather.

• Map of the county council's gritting routes.

For more information about road maintenance, telephone the Cambridgeshire Highways team on 0345 045 5212.

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.

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

There is no law stopping you from clearing snow from outside your house or another public space. 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.