During the last winter it was maddenning that common advice was to leave the snow on pavements for fear or being sued.
I’m chuffed to see a thawing of this fear with the government issuing a ‘Snow code’ .
This is important guidance on how communities and councils can work together to improve pavement conditions. It basically gives advice about how to clear paths sensibly. Clarity is added about the potential for litigation that everyone has a duty of care but by following sensible snow clearing practice people should have nothing to worry about.
This all comes witha little relief that a. I was doing the right thing in how I was clearing snow from the pavements around my home and b. that I’m very unlikely to ever be sued and certainly not successfully.
The next step is for clearing pavements outside homes to become a required duty of able bodied citizens.
Do you think that should be a duty placed on everyone?
I wholeheartedly agree. I’m disappointed that the snow code does not point out the difference between your own property (front path/doorstep) and the public pavement. There is no reason to fear that you’ll be sued if you clear either, but if you don’t clear the path on your own property,then there is a real risk you will be sued if the paperboy/milkman etc, falls and breaks his leg. The advice given last year was utterly daft.
I’m temporarily living in Canada where there is a duty to clear snow from the public pavement in front of your property, and you can be fined for not doing so. It can need doing as much as 3 times a day in mid-winter. For that reason, corner properties are not popular.