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Clearing snow

(Photo: Essex Chronicle)

Salt Bag Partnership

We encourage parish and town councils to take part in the Salt Bag Partnership Scheme. This involves each parish being given one tonne of salt (in 20kg bags) for use on pavements important to the community, such as footpaths to local shops and services, doctor’s surgeries etc. It will be for these councils to decide where the salt is used. 

How to get involved

Parish/town councils participating in the scheme need local volunteers to help them clear snow from the pavement. If you would like to volunteer, please contact your parish council.  

Clearing snow yourself

Contrary to popular belief, there is no law stopping you from clearing your local pavements and pathways, providing that you take a careful and common sense approach. To find out more read this simple, snow clearing guide for individuals and volunteers

How to clear snow

Clearing snow is hard work and the most important thing is to look after yourself when doing so. Remember:
  • start early because undisturbed snow is the easiest to remove -once walked on it becomes compacted and turns to ice
  • never use water under any circumstance; it may replace snow with black ice
  • plastic, lightweight snow shovels or wide-bladed shovels are the most appropriate tools on snow - a regular metal shovel is the next best alternative although the snow will stick to it and it will need to be cleaned regularly
  • do not block paths or drainage channels with shovelled snow
  • spreading salt on the area you have cleared will help stop ice forming - to spread salt, use a small scoop, garden trowel or a grass spreader/lawn feeder, but avoid spreading on plants or grass
  • a small handful of salt (about 20g) is sufficient to cover a square metre of cleared surface  

Where to get salt/grit 

The salt we hold is used to keep the highway network moving. If you wish to clear your driveway or footpaths, salt can be purchased from local building suppliers and DIY stores, or, as an alternative, you can use table salt or dishwasher salt.