Weekend blizzards made work for young snowman builders in Highbury Fields – and street gritters on the borough’s road network.
The town hall says 500 tons of grit are being spread across Islington by 24 vehicles, although it has asked the public to dig in to the 300 grit bins and give them a hand on smaller roads.
Street sweepers have changed hats to pitch in too, though the council acknowledges not all 162 miles of its road network will be covered.
That doesn’t include streets owned by Transport for London, including Upper Street, the Holloway Road and the Pentonville Road.
“We cannot grit all roads due to cost and time restraints,” the council says on its website.
“After main roads, priority is given to hospitals, fire stations, ambulance stations and to at least one access road from the main road network to all communities.”
An online map showing the council’s gritting routes by priority was not working as of this morning, but the town hall is working on a fix.
Despite scattered complaints on social media, including one from an irate barrister, the council says it was out and about with gritting lorries on both Saturday and Sunday – and has released a photo to prove it.
Its teams will take to the streets again from 2pm, although no more snow is expected after today for the rest of the week.
Temperatures are set to drop below freezing overnight in north London, while heavy rain is forecast from Wednesday.
Visit islington.gov.uk/gritting for more information.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here