During wintry conditions our overnight gritting programme makes our most important roads safer and free of ice for morning traffic. We also provide over 500 grit bins across the city for community use.
Gritting during winter period
We aim to keep the most important roads clear during the winter service period (runs between October - March), which includes the resilient road network, bus routes, emergency service infrastructure and known problem locations. This equates to 180 miles of main roads - more than a third of the city’s entire road network.
We spread rock salt also known as grit on our roads using gritters, which are specially designed lorries with spreading units attached. By spreading grit on the roads, it prevents freezing and ice forming maintaining safe road conditions and the safety of residents.
We have produced a Winter Service Operational Plan, which presents our Winter Service provision in detail. This document is updated annually and is available for download on this page. If you have problems accessing or viewing the Winter Service Operational Plan, please email flooding@leicester.gov.uk.
Gritting routes
Footways, public footpaths and cycleways
Pedestrians are advised to take extra care as footways, public footpaths and cycleways are not gritted. During periods of heavy snowfall, when conditions permit, snow is cleared from footways in the city centre, some shopping areas, and some heavily used footways.
Due to limited public finances, we are unable to grit every road in the city. So, we provide grit bins for communities to grit known problem areas.
Find your nearest grit bin
The locations of all the grit bins in the city are presented in Appendix 8 of the Winter Service Operation Plan.
Please note: The grit is for use on the public highway not for use on private property.
Grit bin refill or replacement
Request a new grit bin
To request a new grit bin for your local area, where one is not already in place, you must submit a request to your local Councillor. You can find your Councillor, their contact details and surgery times using Your ward and entering your post code.
For the latest information on gritting
You can find out the latest by following us on Twitter and or Facebook where we will post relevant information to keep you informed.
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