Gritting and snow clearance in Crawley

Entrances, ramps and walkways at Crawley businesses and homes, salted by hand before the frost.

Gritting in Crawley is mostly a business matter for us. The town has more than 600 businesses on its main industrial estate alone, plus offices, care homes, schools and churches across the neighbourhoods. Nearly all of them have an entrance, a short walk from parking and a step or a ramp. That’s what we clear and salt by hand when frost or snow is on the way.

We’re a family firm in Horley, about three and a half miles north, so Crawley is close enough to reach early. Homes are welcome too. A front path in Furnace Green freezes just like the step outside a warehouse office.

Commercial gritting in Crawley and what HSE expects

The Health and Safety Executive expects employers to manage the risk of slips on outdoor routes when there’s ice and snow about. In practice that means the walk in from the car park, the ramp up to reception, and the fire exit that opens onto a path nobody thinks about until January. We’ll walk the site with you before winter, agree which routes matter and put it in writing.

Through the cold months we come out when frost or snow is forecast and tell you once each route has been treated. Sites with several units can sit under one plan, with an itemised quote for each.

Footpaths, flats and bungalows in the neighbourhoods

Crawley was built as planned neighbourhoods, and one conservation area in Furnace Green exists partly to protect the way its estates keep people on foot apart from cars. In January that means a lot of shared walkways between low-rise flats and bungalows that only the residents will ever salt. On the Weald Clay side of town, out towards Ifield and Bewbush, water sits on paving after rain and freezes hard. The sandier east drains quicker but frosts all the same. If you run a block, or look after a relative’s bungalow, we can include the shared route to the door.

Gritting in Crawley: your questions

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

Our unit is shut at weekends. What happens if it freezes on a Sunday night?

If your site is on a winter plan, we’ll aim to grit on Sunday evening or very early on Monday, so the entrance is treated before people start arriving. We’ll message you when it’s done, so whoever opens up knows.

Do you clear snow from the whole car park?

We clear whatever’s on your plan, by hand, starting with the walking routes, the accessible spaces and the bays nearest the door. The plan sets out plainly which parts of the car park are covered.

Will the same people come out each time?

Yes. We’re a family-run grounds team, so the people who agree your routes in autumn are the ones who turn up on a frosty morning. Insurance certificates are available if your facilities team needs them.