I know that we are expecting another icy blast (it's been snowing here on and off here since 11'ish), but I've just driven past the salt-box at the end of my road and seen half a dozen people with their old supermarket carrier bags helping themselves to the road salt.
Looks like I've been missing out on a trick as I've always bought my salt from the DIY shop (for my path & drive), I just hope there's some left for when it's needed for the road.
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Your Council Tax pays for it, why not use it? Although I would not wish to be accused of praising our council, they do keep our grit bins topped up.
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That's the credit crunch for you !
Anyway timely post all the Siberian Weather Sweeps Britain posts will be moved in here !
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When I saw it, it just didn't seem to be right, but then I guess if we don't use it then I'n not sure if the council would as I've never seen a council worker using the boxes, although I can't complain about the roads here as they are always treated well before the temperature drops.
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The boxes must be for public use, our council uses mini tractors towing small gritting trailers topped up from small trucks for the pavements on well used routes. The bins are in residential areas which are way down the list of priorities for gritting.
Edited by Old Navy on 01/02/2009 at 17:00
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There's one on the road just past my house; neighbour and I used it a few weeks ago, we had a shower of rain followed by a freeze (not uncommon round here as we're not far from the coast) and the milk tanker couldn't get up to the farm. Twenty minutes' shovelling and job done. Council have since topped the bin up.
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It's theft. Wasn't there a story a few weeks back of a youth having his collar felt for raiding the bin and using it to clear elderly residents paths?
Quite rightly, I think he got off with a warning as he wasn't profiting from the exercise.
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I help myself to a bucket from the bin at the bottom of the road now and then,I look at it this way, I pay £195 a month in council tax, have no children to educate,no street lighting in my vicinity,the bin men wont collect my refuse from my house as the approach road is too steep,the nearest library is 14 miles away, they wont give me a recycling bin,so all in all I think the odd bucket of grit is not unreasonable.
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As I understand it, the salt is there for local residents to use in the vicinity of the box. the youth in the story mentioned had taken the salt and gone off well away from the area of the box to spread it. He wasn't asking for payment but he didn't refuse any gratuities offered, hence the unease over what he did.
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I agree that it's theft. The boxes are placed where the salt is most needed and it's up to the community to use it for the good of the community.
Start filching a few shovelfuls for yourself and it is a slippery slope in all senses of the phrase.
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'The boxes are placed where the salt is most needed and it's up to the community to use it for the good of the community.'
If you are taking it from the box on the end of your road to clear the pavement outside your home that leads to the box, then you are using it for the community.
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I think that when you start putting it on your drive that it becomes a bit iffy. Mind you I suppose a Doctor or a Cop may sway the community argument.
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I think that when you start putting it on your drive that it becomes a bit iffy
That's the daftest thing I've heard for a long time. If you're not allowed to use the grit on your drive and therefore cannot access the road, then everyone but the community benefits. It's illogical and that makes me furious!
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I think that when you start putting it on your drive that it becomes a bit iffy. Mind you I suppose a Doctor or a Cop may sway the community argument.
When I have gritted my drive does the policeman who lives opposite me arrest me for theft before or after he has done his?
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Sorry Pu - Didnt realise you were having a "should have stayed in bed day".
Edited by Old Navy on 01/02/2009 at 20:51
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Oh I give up. A bit iffy isn't a technical term you know !
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It's road salt, not pavement salt. Stop stealing it.
Why not go the whole hog and wire the street light into your circuit?
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That would be a little iffy as well !
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It's road salt not pavement salt. Stop stealing it.
See my post at 16:57 above. The council use 6 wheeled umpteen ton trucks to grit the roads here.
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I've always known it as Rock Salt.....
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I pay £1800 in council tax. So do the other 100 houses in my vicinity. We have paid for that salt many times over.
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By that logic I can help myself to the use of a Challenger Battle Tank when I want to settle the odd dispute ! :-)
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You haven't really grasped the concept of taxation have you MrX?
@ ON, grit bins are placed at points where there is particular need, steep slopes, bends etc.. It's there for the general safety of road users, not for your personal use. If you want to clear your little bit of pavement, then get a broom a shovel and your personal bag of salt. It costs very little and goes a long way.
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Pu - Are there any legal implications if someone (postie) falls and you have/have not cleared your drive. Im insured!
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Yes - possibly. Occupiers Liability Act 195? Without looking it was updated to be incorporated into Health and Safety Legislation in around 06.
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As I understand it, it's a no win situation. If you don't clear the drive and they slip, they will sue and win. If you do clear it and they slip, they will use the fact you cleared it as evidence that you knew there was a problem in the first place.
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I think everyone should be able to use it for motoring purposes. That would be sensible wouldn't it?
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what about if everyone on your street uses it to do each others paths instead of their own isnt that benifiting the whole community????
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You must all live in affluent areas - what's a salt box?
Round us the council dumps piles of salt grit at intervals by the roadside, on hills, bends, notorious icy bits. Obviously it's there for residents or stuck motorists to use themselves, that's the whole point of it. Or does your council come round and put salt on your boiled egg for you as well?
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>>Or does your council come round and put salt on your boiled egg for you as well?<<
They did, once. I sued them for dental work when my top set broke on the grit which they left in the salt.
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Re keeping paths clear for postmen and other delivery agents-if there is access to your property and a letterbox then that is an implicit invitation to deliver.So if someone enters and trips on a broken path,slips on wet leaves or is attacked by your dog they can sue,even if delivering something you do not want,such as a takeaway menu.
I think taking salt/grit from roadside boxes is a bit tight,it is not expensive and could leave someone stuck on a hill if the box is empty.
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You must all live in affluent areas - what's a salt box?
Round here they don't supply any salt grit, they send out gritters but the only salt boxes I can think of are on private car parks or NHS property.
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Its so posh around here we have roadside condiments for such things !
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And a butler to supervise the dispensing of them no doubt ?
Must go and feed t'ferret......
;-)
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The Idiots' Guide to Highways Maintenance gives information about British Standards for winter road salt and salt spreaders. tinyurl.com/aosqxc
Incidentally, if I saw people stealing salt out of boxes I would ring the council and inform them. That's the public spirited thing to do.
Edited by L'escargot on 03/02/2009 at 08:02
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