Gritting and snow clearance in Epsom

Paths, steps and entrances salted by hand, up on the chalk and down on the clay.

The parish of Epsom climbs to 155 metres on the Downs. The south and east of town sit up on that chalk, the centre, north and west down on London Clay. Our gritting in Epsom covers what people actually walk on: front paths, steps, drives, entrances and the passage to the bins. It’s done by hand and, wherever we can manage it, before the frost.

Epsom is about 13 miles from our base in Horley, near the northern limit of where we work. So we’d rather agree your paths in the autumn and come out on the forecast than promise to turn up within the hour on a snowy morning. Paths agreed that way are already on our list when the first frost arrives.

Gritting in Epsom on chalk and on clay

Up on the chalk, gardens drain fast and paths dry between showers. The risk there is a clear night after a damp day, when a skin of frost forms on stone and decking, and salt put down the evening before deals with that well. The clay side is different. The council’s appraisal of the Stamford Green area notes water lying on the ground after a downpour, even up on its higher parts, and water left sitting on a path sets into a glaze. So on that side of town we treat puddled corners, low steps and the dip at the foot of a drive first.

Shared paths, school gates and car parks

Plenty of Epsom’s winter footfall isn’t at private houses. The old hospital sites at Horton, Long Grove and the Manor are now housing, with shared paths and parking someone has to keep safe. The town also has secondary schools, Epsom College, a creative arts university campus and the units on the Longmead Industrial Estate. HSE wants employers to keep outdoor walkways under control when ice is about. For commercial gritting we write a winter plan with you: which entrances, which paths, which corner of the car park, and what weather brings us out.

Gritting in Epsom: your questions

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

Can you get to Epsom at short notice on a snowy morning?

Sometimes, but we won’t pretend it’s a sure thing from 13 miles away. Agreeing your paths before winter is the better route, because then we’re coming out on the forecast. If you ring on the day, we’ll tell you honestly when we can be there.

Does snow clearance in Epsom include the whole drive?

It can. We shift the snow by hand before it gets trodden in, then salt what’s underneath. On a long drive climbing towards the Downs it often makes sense to clear the full width on the steep part and a walking line on the rest.

Will the salt mark old walls or stone paving?

It can, so we’re careful. Some older walled houses on the downland side use clunch, a soft chalk building stone, and chalk is a kind of limestone, which doesn’t like salt. We keep salty slush away from it and from natural stone paving.