Residents within Tooting will be able to get free bags of grit and salt to tackle ice and snow.

While Londoners have had pretty mild weather since the summer, it is an inevitability that temperatures will drop.

Wandsworth Council is offering residents in the borough up to 50kg of free-of-charge grit to help them clear frozen footpaths.

If this sounds like something you'd like, you can visit the council depot on Dormay Street between 9am and midday on November 20.

You will need to bring some proof of address to show they live in the borough. The depot's postcode is SW18 1EY for people using sat-navs.

There will also be sacks of grit distributed across Wandsworth's neighbourhood watch co-ordinaters, so that local people have an immediate stock close at hand.

There are now 55 of these bins located around the borough, situated mainly in hilly areas where icy pavements can be particularly treacherous.

What the council says about grit

When temperatures plummet and roads and footpaths are covered in snow and ice the council's fleet of gritting vehicles and dozens of staff are dispatched to clear it away, but with nearly 230 miles of road surface plus 460 miles of pavements it is a mammoth task that always takes time to complete.

To put this into context, the borough's total amount of road space, not including pavements, that would need to be treated in a cold snap is the same distance as a journey from Wandsworth Town Hall to Blackpool's famous pleasure beach in Lancashire.

And to make the gritting of roads and pavements work effectively it needs repeated treatments – especially if temperatures drop further or there is another flurry of snow.

When there is a cold and icy snap local people often contact the town hall to volunteer to clear paths in their neighbourhoods, which is why free grit is offered to residents.

Local people also have much better knowledge of their neighbourhoods and are better placed to clear ice from the front garden paths of vulnerable or elderly people living close by.

To find the location of your nearest salt bin visit www.wandsworth.gov.uk/snow. For more information about the free grit offer call (020) 8871 6750.

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