Gritting roads and clearing snow

To keep our streets safe, we put grit down on roads if there is a risk of snow or icy conditions. We cannot grit or clear all roads, so our first priority is to clear busier roads and locations as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Grit bins

There are about 50 grit bins throughout Hackney which we will place out on the Streets when weather conditions indicate a period of heavy snowfall and freezing conditions. This allows members of the public to put grit down on places that are not reached by our gritting lorries or snow ploughs. They are restocked with salt when needed.

Contact info@hackney.gov.uk if you think there is a location that needs a grit bin.

Can a grit bin be removed?

Grit bins are sometimes vandalised or used as a meeting place for youths. If this becomes an unbearable nuisance, a request for the bin to be removed can be made. The agreement of other residents in the area would be needed before the facility is withdrawn. Please email info@hackney.gov.uk to make your request.

When do we grit?

We get a daily forecast from the Met Office which gives us predictions of the possibility of freezing road temperatures and snow and when those conditions might happen. We also inspect road surface temperatures to check the accuracy of forecasts and see if gritting or salting is needed.

Wherever possible, gritting and salting takes place outside of peak traffic times and before freezing conditions occur.

Are pedestrians routes gritted?

In very severe weather conditions we grit footways and pavements. In descending order of priority, we will grit these locations:

• town centre streets/main pedestrian routes
• shopping frontages
• busy pedestrian routes
• hospitals and doctors surgery frontages/routes
• school frontages/routes
• community centre frontages/routes
• steep sections of footway/footpaths
• predominately elderly residents areas
• other residential areas