Cold weather is forecast for next week. Therefore, it’s important to ensure your businesses and organisations are protected with proactive winter gritting.
Do you have winter safety strategy and winter gritting contract in place?
Have you checked your winter weather risk assessments?
After a milder start to the season, the forecast points to a change in conditions, with icy surfaces, frost, and even sleet or, in some areas, snow becoming possible. It’s important to make sure your winter gritting arrangements are in place, and Clearway Gritting can provide this service.
A turn to the colder: what the forecast is showing
According to the Met Office outlook, all parts of the UK are expected to begin with a “rather cold but bright note” into the coming week, with overnight frost likely to become widespread, especially across northern and eastern areas.
In particular, the Met Office explains that ground frost can develop even when air temperatures remain just above freezing, because surfaces cool down overnight to below 0 °C.
What this means in practice is that premises, car parks, footpaths and access roads, previously functioning well during the milder spell, will now begin to encounter hidden hazards: moisture that has settled on cold ground during the night, combined with slushy sleet or light precipitation, can freeze and create slick, unsafe surfaces.
Why this matters for your business
For organisations operating sites with vehicle movement, pedestrian traffic, or multiple access points (car parks, loading bays, external walkways) the onset of frost or sleet onto already cold ground presents a real health and safety risk.
At Clearway Gritting we specialise in both preventative and reactive gritting services designed to keep such areas safe and operational.
It’s important to understand that just because the weather has remained mild up until now, complacency can be dangerous. Mild conditions can lull us into thinking the surfaces are safe, but a sudden drop in overnight temperatures, or a shift to sleet or light snow, changes things, and quickly.
Much of the risk centres on frost forming on surfaces that appear dry, and on untreated surfaces that remain cold and wet into the morning rush. The Met Office notes that ground frost occurs when surface temperatures fall below zero even if the air temperature is higher.
For your site, the consequences may include slips, trips and falls; vehicle access issues; disruption to operations; and, ultimately, liability concerns. A properly executed winter gritting strategy ensures that external areas remain safe, accessible and compliant with health and safety obligations and that your operations continue without avoidable winter-weather interruption.
Why now is the time to act
With weather conditions changing, this is not the moment to delay your winter safety planning. At Clearway Gritting we monitor weather 24/7 using multiple forecasting systems to identify when conditions become ice-creating, including ground temperature drops, moisture levels and forecast precipitation.
Partnering with us through a winter gritting contract means you’ll benefit from: proactive monitoring, scheduled preventive treatments, reactive callouts when conditions change, and access to a reliable fleet ready at short notice.
As we highlight on our website, we provide cost-effective and carefully planned preventative AND reactive gritting services for roads, pavements and pedestrian zones throughout the South East, helping our clients remain open even in the hardest of winters.
In short: even though it hasn’t turned truly wintry yet, the signs point to colder nights and increased risk of frost and ice. Having a robust contract in place now ensures you’re not left scrambling when the weather takes that turn.
How to move forward and secure your winter gritting contract
We recommend getting in touch directly with Clearway Gritting as soon as possible to discuss your site’s requirements, schedule a risk assessment, and agree a winter gritting contract tailored to your needs. Whether you require weekend-only coverage, full 24/7 support or reactive call-out gritting, we can create a plan that suits your business.
Don’t wait until the first frosty morning catches you unaware. By contacting us today you’ll secure peace of mind, safety for your staff and visitors, and continuity of your operations, no matter what the weather throws at you.
Call us on 01727 640 185 or email service@clearwaygritting.co.uk and we’ll talk through your options and get your winter gritting strategy locked in.
Let’s make this winter a season of smooth operations, safe walkways and vehicle access, not one of disruption or risk. With the colder weather imminent, now’s the time to ensure your gritting plan is ready.
