Commercial gritting in Smallfield

Surgery entrances, school gates, flats and business units, salted before frost settles in the valley.

We do commercial gritting in Smallfield for the places people walk into on a winter morning: the village GP surgery, the gates of Burstow Primary and Aurora Redehall, the communal paths and parking at blocks of flats, the business units with their own car parks, and the churchyard path at Burstow. Entrances, ramps, walkways and steps are cleared and salted by hand before anyone arrives.

Horley is under two miles away, so Smallfield sits right on our doorstep. A gritting contractor that close watches the same sky you do, and can be there the evening a frost is forecast. Every site gets a written plan of its routes, and every visit goes in a log.

Commercial gritting in Smallfield’s frosty valley

Smallfield lies in a shallow valley, and Surrey County Council’s flood report says the Weald clay under it barely lets water through. On still, clear nights cold air drains into low ground like this, so a ramp or car park walkway here can freeze before the open farmland round the village does. Water left on paving after rain is the real risk, because it sets into a glaze overnight. So our timing for Smallfield sites leans early, with salt going down in the late afternoon or evening while the surface is still damp enough to take it.

Car park gritting and entrances, site by site

At the surgery we treat the entrance, the ramp, the disabled bays and the walkway through the car park ahead of morning appointments. At the schools it’s the gates and main paths before drop-off, and at Aurora Redehall we’d ask which routes pupils with mobility needs actually use. Flats get the communal path, steps, bin store and parking. Business units get the walkway from the bays to the door. The churchyard at Burstow sits under tall trees, so its path can stay frozen all day and is worth adding before a winter funeral.

Commercial gritting in Smallfield: your questions

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

Can our managing agent hold the winter gritting contract for the block?

Yes. We agree the routes with the agent, send the visit log there and invoice them, so residents don’t need to organise anything. Agreed before November, it also gives the service charge a known winter figure.

Will the school gates be treated before drop-off?

Yes. When frost is forecast we salt the gates and entrance paths the evening before, so it’s already working when families arrive. After overnight snow we clear those routes first, then salt them.

Do you grit the whole car park at a business unit?

We start with the parts people walk on, then add whatever else you want treated to the plan. Salt stays off the verges and hedges round the edge, because Smallfield’s clay holds onto it.