Winter maintenance
Tips on removing snow and ice
- Clear ice/snow early in the day.
- Use salt or sand, not water. Using water, to melt the snow, may refreeze it and turn into black ice which is invisible. Covering the cleared area with salt will stop ice forming.
For more information look at the METOFFICE website.
Grit bins
Grit bins containing gritting salt are located around the City. Search the interactive maps to find where they are.
Please report an empty grit bin to our Street Cleansing Team.
Where we grit
We receive regular weather reports which informs our operational response on the priority level to be actioned, to ensure the safe passage of vehicles and pedestrians in the City.
To find out which roads and pavements are gritted and cleared, see our interactive maps.
Note: Street sweeping and litter collection is suspended during these periods.
When ice or snowfall is predicted we action the precautionary treatment of key roads in the Square Mile. This includes bus routes and cycle lanes on main through routes, the roads around St Bartholomew's Hospital and those adjacent to police and fire stations. Winter Carriageway Resilience Route
We clear pavements adjacent to hospitals, police and fire stations, train stations, bus stops, schools, nurseries, the Guildhall and steps leading to high walks and over walks. Winter Pavement Priority Areas.
Note: bus stops are not shown on this map but are cleared.
We treat roads on secondary routes roads Winter Carriageway Priority Route.
A two metre pathway on one side of the street along main roads, including crossings, will be cleared of snow and salted. Winter Pavement Priority Route.
Note: this map does not show which side of the street are cleared.
A two metre pathway is cleared and salted as at Winter Pavement Priority Route on the second side of main streets and one side of secondary streets.
The remaining streets are cleared, followed by the full clearance of pavements of main streets, followed by the full clearance of all pavements and litter removal and the removal of all residual snow and ice.
If you would like to clear snow and ice or salt any pavements yourself, there is advice on Clear Snow, Road, Path, Cycleway on the Government website.
For a copy of the Winter Service Operational Plan, please call the Contact Centre on 020 7606 3030 or contact the Street Cleansing team.
During really bad weather we will prioritise:
- Resilience route
- Priority pavements
Contact your estate office, Barbican Estate Middlesex Street Estate or Golden Lane Estate if you have any questions about your estate.
Vulnerable residents
During bad weather conditions, our dedicated team works hard to make sure vulnerable people can get into accommodation.
You can find more information by visiting our rough sleepers page.
Transport for London
Transport for London (TfL) is responsible for winter maintenance on Red Routes . Go to the winter service page on the TfL website for more information including a City of London resilience network map.