Communal Duty

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Tyne and Wear
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Visited Durham city today. The nice walk around was spoiled by slithering and sliding on hard packed ice/snow on footpaths, outside shops,University and public buildings and private residences.

I was reared on a council estate in the 1950s/60s. After weather like we have just had (quite common then) people considered it there duty to clear the footpath outside their house. All the men and kids were motivated to get the job done. Any old or infirm neighbours, we youngsters were encouraged/instructed to clear their paths. If we were lucky, we got a shilling or two for our efforts

Whats gone wrong?
 
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snugib; Ditto your post. During the snow of the last week I cleared the pavement in front of my mother's house, as I have done for the last 45 years. I must've been the only one in the street who bothered to do so. Everybody and their dog used to be out clearing paths.
 
Visited Durham city today. The nice walk around was spoiled by slithering and sliding on hard packed ice/snow on footpaths, outside shops,University and public buildings and private residences.

I was reared on a council estate in the 1950s/60s. After weather like we have just had (quite common then) people considered it there duty to clear the footpath outside their house. All the men and kids were motivated to get the job done. Any old or infirm neighbours, we youngsters were encouraged/instructed to clear their paths. If we were lucky, we got a shilling or two for our efforts

Whats gone wrong?

You tell us you lazy git ;)
 
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the above if the exact reason I don't do it anymore..
if you clear the snow and a subsequent freeze makes the path slippy then it's your fault if someone slips on it for removing the snow..
 
I was reading up on this the other day because this stuff about not clearing snow has been circulating for years.A lawyer on one site says that he has been unable to find a single case where somebody has been successfully prosecuted by a pedestrian after clearing snow....not one.
There is a law that each and every one of us is liable for our own safety and duty of care when walking on snow and ice.

The only time I came across the possibility of you getting sued is if you swill the area with water which then freezes...in other words you've made the area worse than it was before you cleared it.

We are advised to follow the 'snow code' set out on Gov. websites and advised that if the code is followed no-one need fear being sued.
 
That's what happens when heath and safety goes mad.

Everyone becomes too afraid to do anything.

In Canada you use to be responsible for clearing your drive/pavement. Seems like common sense to clear it.
 
I always clear my path/driveway and front pavement.
I then put down a generous helping of rock salt bought from the local builders yard. If they have run out I will use common table salt, its cheap enough and stops visitors treading snow into the hallway when they call.

Most H & S 'advice are urban myths.
 
No snow where I live, must be the only place in the UK? A hard frost, but no snow.

I was not amazed, but astonished to see snow falling, and lots of snow on the ground, 4 miles away in town. None where I live, although the pond is frozen over, and the level of water is low, as per last years posts.
 
No snow where I live, must be the only place in the UK? A hard frost, but no snow.

I was not amazed, but astonished to see snow falling, and lots of snow on the ground, 4 miles away in town. None where I live, although the pond is frozen over, and the level of water is low, as per last years posts.
Don't know why this reminds me of Christopher Lee's portrail of Dracula (this character being based on a crazy impaler who didn't seem to like being questioned about things) being drowned under a sheet of ice in a 1960s Hammer Horror movie.

I'm trying to remember the name of a real person who was famously drowned after he was poisoned and I think stabbed. Something to do with Russia. Can anyone help??
 
That would be Rasputin.
Poisoned,shot, stabbed and basically everything else done to the poor man.
I think he was ok myself. Certainly had a way with the women. ;)
 
That would be Rasputin.
Poisoned,shot, stabbed and basically everything else done to the poor man.
I think he was ok myself. Certainly had a way with the women. ;)
Thank you very much young lady (I assume with a username like that). Didn't Rasputin have a nickname?
 
Thank you for the young comment old'un but I'm a big masculine scouser.
The female version is spelt Connie, as in Connie Francis who was probably a slip of a girl when you were approaching middle age. :evil: :LOL:
 
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