Gritting and snow clearance in Reigate

Sloping drives, steps to the door and paths under big evergreens, cleared and salted by hand.

Gritting in Reigate is mostly about gradients. The town centre sits at about 80 metres in the Holmesdale valley, and the Downs to the north climb to around 235. Drives that run up towards them, sloping front gardens with steps to the door, and paths under big evergreens that the low winter sun never reaches are the ones we clear and salt by hand when frost or snow is forecast.

We come over from Horley, four and a half miles south, and the same team does every visit. Homes are most of it, though we also treat entrances and car parks at offices, churches and schools.

Gritting a Reigate drive that slopes

Ice behaves differently on a slope. Meltwater runs down a drive during the day, collects at the bottom or along the edge of the steps, then freezes again after dark. So we don’t salt a sloping drive evenly. Most of it goes where the water gathers: the turn, the foot of the slope and the treads of any steps. When snow falls we clear it from the top down, by hand, before it gets packed hard underfoot, then salt what’s left. A drive frozen into ruts is far harder to put right, so ring the evening before.

Sand in the middle of town, clay to the north

The centre and the Heath sit on the sandy Folkestone Beds, so paths there usually shed water quickly. North of the railway it’s Gault, a stiff clay that keeps water sitting on paving and turns it to a glaze overnight. Older houses bring their own care points: Georgian brick, the odd surviving stone wall, and lawns edged right up to the path. Tell us what your surfaces are and we’ll go lightly where it matters, keeping salty snow off the grass and out of the borders.

Gritting in Reigate: your questions

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

Can you do the steps up to our front door as well as the drive?

Yes, and on a lot of Reigate’s older houses the steps are the bigger risk. We clear each tread by hand and salt it lightly, paying most attention to the front edge where water sits. If the steps are natural limestone or reconstituted stone, let us know, because salt can mark them.

We live up towards the Downs. Will you come out if it’s only frosty up there?

Yes. With more than 150 metres between the valley floor and the top of the Downs, the higher drives and the valley floor can have quite different nights. We go by the forecast for where you actually live.

Do you grit for schools and offices in Reigate?

We do paths, entrances, ramps and car parks for schools, offices, churches and care homes. HSE expects workplaces to manage slip risk on outdoor routes in ice and snow, so we agree the routes with you in writing before winter and tell you after each visit.