Londoners are being urged to pick up shovels and grit their own streets as the capital braces for a sharp drop in temperatures this week.
A growing number of councils are handing out free salt, hi-vis vests and snow shovels to householders, encouraging them to help clear pavements and residential side streets that town hall teams say they can’t get to.
Residents willing to pitch in are being signed up as ‘snow angels’ and ‘winter buddies’, schemes that have existed for years but are now under renewed scrutiny amid fresh tax hikes and warnings of stretched local budgets.
Their latest recruitment drives come as wet weather and cold Arctic air are expected to bring ‘difficult, slippery conditions’ to the UK on Tuesday, the Met Office said, with snow possible in some northern parts.
The weather for the next seven days will be ‘markedly colder’ than it was last week, with ‘harsh frost’ expected towards the end of the week, the forecaster said.
The Met Office has also issued multiple yellow weather warnings for snow and ice affecting parts of Scotland and northern England from Monday to Thursday, with sub-zero temperatures expected during the first cold snap of the winter.
In Wandsworth, which says its gritting trucks face a ‘mammoth task’ keeping the borough moving, people have been offered 50kg sacks of grit to deal with frozen paths near their homes.
Their latest recruitment drives come as wet weather and cold Arctic air are expected to bring ‘difficult, slippery conditions’ to the UK on Tuesday
STERLING, NOVEMBER 14: Snowfall on top of the hills behind Stirling Castle as an icy Arctic blast moves in
A spokesman said the free-grit giveaway is an annual scheme and remains ‘extremely popular’, pointing out that the borough’s residents pay the lowest council tax in the country.
He also noted that the authority has doubled charges for second-home owners and properties left empty for over a year.
Haringey, which pushed council tax up by almost 5 per cent in its latest budget, runs a comparable programme.
Anyone who signs up as a ‘winter buddy’ can collect up to five bags of salt, each weighing 25kg, along with gloves, a branded high-visibility vest and a snow scoop or shovel.
Meanwhile in Bromley, which also raised council tax by the maximum permitted amount, officials have been running their ‘snow friends’ network since 2009.
Volunteers are encouraged to focus on residential side roads while the council concentrates on priority routes, and a YouTube video even demonstrates safe shovelling techniques to avoid back strain.
Lambeth continues to operate its ‘snow warden’ initiative, launched in 2011, offering simple training as well as grit and equipment for those who sign up.
The authority, which increased council tax by 4.99 per cent and brought in a premium on second homes this year, said it remained under intense financial pressure after ’15 years of underfunding from central government’, though spending has been cut significantly.
By Wednesday night temperatures are expected to hit freezing across almost the entire country
Waltham Forest is also sticking with its own ‘snow angels’ group after raising council tax by 4.99 per cent.
The push for volunteers has sparked anger from campaigners. Callum McGoldrick of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: ‘It’s remarkable that councils are telling residents to go out and grit the pavements themselves.
‘Councils can’t keep hiking taxes and then expect local people to pick up the shovel for basic services they’re already paying for.
‘Town hall bosses should focus on delivering the essentials, not outsourcing winter maintenance to hard-pressed taxpayers.’
Temperatures in London are expected to dip to around 0°C, with health officials warning of increased risks for older people and extra pressure on the NHS.
Met office meteorologist Alex Burkill said cold air is coming from Siberia and crossing over the Arctic ocean to the UK.
Further north, an amber alert remains in place across the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber, while the Met Office has multiple snow and ice warnings covering parts of Scotland and northern England through Thursday as sub-zero conditions set in.
