Winter service for roads and pavements
We run a winter service to help keep roads and pavements safe during snow, ice and frost.
Our winter service runs from October to April to help keep roads and pavements safe during snow, ice and frost. We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If cold weather continues, we may continue treatments outside this period.
We:
- grit roads on the priority network
- monitor weather conditions and road surface temperatures
- maintain public grit bins across the borough
When forecasts show a risk of ice or snow, we deploy gritting vehicles to treat priority routes.
We manage around 4000 tonnes of grit, operate 7 gritting vehicles and can treat around 240 kilometres of road during a single treatment run.
Croydon has around 730 kilometres of roads, so it is not possible to treat every road at the same time.
Approximately 30% of Croydon’s Highway network is subject to its winter service operation.
How we monitor weather conditions
Council engineers monitor weather conditions and road surface temperatures throughout the winter.
We use specialist weather forecasts, together with local knowledge and experience, to make decisions about winter treatments.
This helps us decide:
- when roads and pavements need treatment
- which parts of the network should be treated
- the most appropriate treatment to use
When we grit roads
We grit roads when forecasts show that the road surface temperature is likely to fall to 0°C or below.
Road surface temperatures can be different from air temperatures. Roads retain heat and cool at a different rate, so frost on your car does not necessarily mean a road needs gritting.
Frost is most likely to affect road surfaces late in the evening and early in the morning. For this reason, gritting is usually carried out overnight when traffic levels are lower.
How we grit
We have:
- 7 gritting vehicles available for deployment
- approximately 4,000 tonnes of grit in storage
- snow clearance machinery and equipment ready for use
Our winter service vehicles spread grit across the full width of the carriageway.
If you drive near a gritting vehicle
You should:
- keep a safe distance behind it
- take extra care when overtaking
- be aware of road workers carrying out winter maintenance activities
Where we grit
Because of the size of Croydon's highway network, it is not practical to provide winter treatments on every road and pavement and keep all surfaces free from frost, ice or snow at all times.
We prioritise roads and pavements based on their importance, use and access to key destinations.
The winter gritting network includes:
- principal routes
- primary and secondary distributor roads
- strategic bus routes
- emergency service routes
- routes serving key transport interchanges
- routes to important destinations
- locations at higher risk because of hills, gradients or other topographical features
We do not grit every road and pavement in the borough.
Check which roads are gritted
Use the map to search for a street name and see whether it is included in the council's winter gritting programme.
- Enter your post code or street address into the search box to the right of the 3 horizontal lines
- Select your address
- Use the + and – icons to zoom in or zoom out. You can also use the scroll wheel on your mouse to zoom in and out.
- The purple lines indicate primary gritting routes
- The green lines indicate the secondary gritting routes
Check which pavements are gritted
You can view the locations of our pavement (footway) gritting (PDF, 252KB).
Find a grit bin
We maintain more than 600 public highway grit bins across the borough.
These bins provide a supply of grit that residents can use to help manage icy conditions on public footways and other highway areas.
View the locations of our grit bins. (PDF, 252KB)
Please use grit responsibly so supplies remain available throughout the winter season.
You can report an empty or damaged grit bin on Love Clean Streets.
.During snow and severe weather
During periods of heavy snowfall or prolonged freezing conditions, we focus resources on keeping priority routes open and safe.
Treatment times may be affected by:
- the severity and duration of the weather
- traffic conditions
- the availability of treatment vehicles
- ongoing snowfall reducing the effectiveness of grit treatments
We cannot guarantee that all roads and pavements will remain free from snow and ice during severe weather.
What you can do
You can help keep your local area safe during winter by:
- taking extra care when walking or driving in icy conditions
- allowing extra time for journeys
- checking weather forecasts before travelling
- using grit from public grit bins to treat small areas of public footway where it is safe to do so
- reporting winter-related highway issues to us
Report a winter highways issue
The quickest way to report a problem is through Love Clean Streets.
You can use the service to report:
- icy roads and footways
- damaged or empty grit bins
- snow-related highway issues
- other highway maintenance concerns
Contact us
If you require any more information on gritting routes and the location of grit bins, email HighwaysMaintenance@croydon.gov.uk.
Emergencies
You can call 0208 726 6000.