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The Need for Ice Gritting Essex
Essex is a south-eastern county bordered by London to the west and with an extensive coastline to the east. Its southerly position means it has a relatively warm climate, compared to the rest of the UK, with the average minimum temperature generally staying above zero Celsius all year round. It also shares relatively low rainfall with the other eastern counties. With these facts in mind, there might not seem to be a very high demand for ice gritting in Essex.
But although rainfall may be low in terms of amount, there are still between 17-22 days per month where some rain or drizzle occurs. And it does not take a great deal of surface water to be present before ice can start to form.
Furthermore, temperatures can fall below zero anytime between September and May, and can be as low as -20 Celsius in January and February. So apart from June, July and August, Essex can expect to see the conditions necessary for ice on a fairly regular basis. In addition, in an average year, there are typically between 1 and 4 snow days each month between November and April.
All this means that even without the exceptional winter of 2010/11 there is a significant, but sporadic risk of ice formation for a great deal of the year, and a need for proactively ice gritting Essex public and private roads.
About Essex
Essex is a diverse county. To the south it borders London and includes Ilford and Romford, effectively suburbs of East London. The county is served by two major rail links to London Liverpool Street and Fenchurch Street. This has created a large commuter belt along these lines, taking in the populous towns of Chelmsford, Colchester, Billericay and Southend. To the west and north the county tends to be more rural, with many small towns and villages.
Its proximity to London makes Essex a natural location for many businesses, as well as attracting many families. So there are many major shopping centres in the county including the Lakeside centre in Thurrock and the designer outlet village in Braintree.
Essex also attracts significant level of business travellers during summer and winter alike, as well as many UK holidaymakers heading for the seaside destinations of Southend, Clacton, Frinton and more. This means a plethora of hotels, guesthouses and pubs throughout the area, many of whom cater for London workers looking for a night out, or an out-of-town venue for weddings, Christmas and New Year parties and other corporate events all year round.
All of these businesses are likely to be hard hit if customers cannot access their premises due to snow and ice. Even worse is the prospect of customers injuring themselves on ungritted walkways and car parks, leading to potential claims for compensation.
You can protect your business’s income and keep your customers safe by hiring a private ice gritting service to proactively monitor your site and carry out gritting at the first sign of ice or snow. While Essex local authorities will be doing their utmost to keep public roads clear, they won’t be gritting private roads and car parks belonging to local businesses. Whether you manage to keep your business open and safe for employees and visitors this coming winter will depend on what arrangements you decide to put in place now. A single phone call to Ice Watch could mean the difference between keeping your business going, or grinding to a halt this winter.
Ice Gritting Essex - contact us now for a free quotation
Ice Watch are a national gritting company operating throughout Essex and East Anglia. We carry out preventative gritting and snow clearance for all types of private businesses throughout the county including Chelmsford, Colchester, Southend, Leigh-on-sea, Basildon, Romford, Harwich, Braintree, Saffron Waldon, Hatfield, Great Dunmow, Harlow, Brentwood, Billericay, Thurrock and Grays. |
