Who is responsible for clearing the snow from the pavements in the UK??
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Cottage tales | 21 comments
Inca in the snow
The walk to John’s shop – the post office and general store in our village – was quite arduous today. Usually it’s a five minute stroll. But the snow made it heavy going. Even in my trusty Bearpaw sheepskin boots
Walking in snow that’s over 10 cm is quite tiring as you have to lift your feet as high as a badly operated puppet. At some points in the journey it was easier to walk in the road.
Just a handful of houses had cleared the pavement in front of their houses. The rest, like me, had left the snow.
In the old days everyone used to clear the pavement outside their houses but nowadays most people are frightened about being sued if someone slips. Some people think that this is an urban myth but in reality the Local Authority is liable for clearing the roads and the pavements in the UK.
Your responsibility lies in clearing a path from the pavement to your house. If you clear the path outside your house and someone slips there you can be sued.
It seems a shame to me that the fear of litigation stops UK residents from being neighbourly. What do you think?
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I waited until it was soft enough to clear it all away- I tried the day after it snowed and it left a lovely layer to re-freeze and be more dangerous than the snow, once it was melting I could shift the lot early Monday morning.We have a primary school just around the corner, so it made a bit of the journey easier.Though I was a bit put off by the snooty looks some of the Mothers gave me while I was doing it, some chatted and said hello, but most,well,does a smile hurt? We live in strange times.