Sheffield snow: Anger at empty grit bins across city as freezing weather continues

The council’s private highways contractor said this morning, Wednesday January 8, it has ‘multiple teams busy refulling grit bins as quickly as we can’. Sheffield has more than 2,200, according to the city council.

But many readers said theirs had run out after snow at the weekend and ongoing freezing temperatures.

Among more than 300 comments on The Star’s Facebook page, Alan Moore said: “There’s no grit in any grit boxes anywhere, what do we pay our council tax for exactly?”

Stephanie Hitchen said: “I've been in the city centre this morning and the pavements were really bad, no grit on them.”

Rachael Vessey said: “We pay well over the odds for council tax for our area and had our grit bin has been taken away. Our road is terrible at the minute. Needs a boat load chucking down.”

Elaine Hill said: “You're lucky if you've a grit bin...there's a lot of roads that need them but for some reason can't have one.”

Trish Bramhall: “We used to have one close to our previous house. And it was always me that phoned all time to get it refilled. Only then to see people come in cars from all over to empty it. Just shows. There is not enough about.”

Anne Quibell: “I've applied several times for one but still won't give us one, you look at the map and some have four or five within walking distance of each other, but in other areas its a good 20min walk to one.”

Jean Hill: “We live in a cul-de-sac at the bottom of a hill and it's never been gritted and our grit bins are empty.”

The Star reported gritting teams were treating pavements on Ecclesall Road on Tuesday.

Amey says it grits and clears snow from the ‘city’s busiest pavements and pedestrian areas’, including around the two main hospitals, the railway station and city centre shopping areas.

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Nazreen Ahsan had words of praise for their efforts.

She said: “It's good they gritting the pavements some people can't get out because of health conditions well done Sheffield City Council keep it up.”

On X, Peter Hurrell, said: “Appreciate you can't treat all side roads, but you should have as a priority refilling grit bins so locals can. A local bin has been reported many times over last few days and is still empty.”

Amey responded saying: “We do treat grit bin refills as a priority but as you can appreciate we have been very busy since the amber weather warning on Friday.

“We have had multiple teams refilling the grit bins and that will continue every day this week.”

Sheffield City Council’s winter website states it does not grit residential pavements, parks, cycle lanes or housing estates.

Report an empty grit bin here.