Gritting and snow clearance in Copthorne

Entrances and paths for the village’s hotels, care homes and local firms, and for homes too.

Gritting in Copthorne is as much about entrances as front doors. For a village it carries a lot of working ground: Gatwick hotels and airport parking, care homes, schools, the units at Borers Yard and the newer business space at St Modwen Park. All of them have staff and visitors arriving in the dark on frosty mornings. We clear and salt those entrances, paths and staff car parks by hand, and do the same for homes across the village.

We’re based about three miles away in Horley. For businesses we’d suggest settling the plan before winter starts: which routes, in what order, and who we tell when it’s done. Then the moment the forecast turns icy we simply turn up, rather than waiting for a call that comes too late.

Commercial gritting in Copthorne and what HSE expects

Under HSE guidance, a workplace is expected to manage slip risk on its outdoor routes in icy weather, as well as indoors. For a Copthorne site that comes down to two things: knowing which routes matter, and treating them before anyone uses them. At a care home that’s usually the main door, the drop off point, any ramp and the bin store. At a unit it’s the path from parking to reception. We write those routes into a short winter plan, agree a fixed approach to each visit and tell you every time it’s done, so you have a record.

Got a winter spec from head office already? Send it over and we’ll work to it.

Higher, drier ground, with a damp valley below the green

An old county history speaks of "the higher and drier soil of Copthorne", and the sandstone underneath does drain better than the Weald clay to the north. That helps. But the brook still runs through a shallow valley below the green, and paths shaded by the tall hedges and woodland round the village hold frost long after sunny ones have thawed. On the post-war cul-de-sacs most front paths are short and simple. The big detached houses set back behind hedgerows have long drives, so it’s worth agreeing which stretch matters most.

Gritting in Copthorne: your questions

Anything else, just ring. You’ll speak to the people who do the work.

Can you grit our care home before the early shift arrives?

We start at seven, so for an early shift the better option is salting the afternoon before a forecast frost, then checking first thing. It’s the more effective way anyway, because salt down ahead of the freeze stops ice forming instead of chasing it.

Can you grit the walkways through a hotel car park?

Yes. We treat the routes guests and staff walk: the entrance, steps, ramps, the walkway from the parking to reception and the staff car park. They all go on the winter plan before the season starts.

Is your gritting company insured for commercial sites?

Yes, we’re fully insured. Certificates are available on request for your files, your head office or your managing agent.