We knew it was coming, the cold snow and ice, yet still we struggle with going about our daily business.

In Redland, roads are closed off, cars sit abandoned covered in bumps and dents and people sit at home nursing bruises and sprains where they’ve slipped in the ice.

This time last year the area faced the same problems and it was chaos. The council neglected to grit even some of the main roads and there were mass shortages nationwide. This year things appear to be a little better with Bristol City Council having already delivered extra grit drops at locations across the city - though some grit bins on street corners do remain empty.

The council says that drops will continue over the next few days while severe weather lasts and information of their locations will be added to the council’s website at www.bristol.gov.uk/snow each day that lorries are going out and about.

The council claims that all the grit bins in the city have been filled. It has created a section on the website where people can find their nearest bin on the winter weather pages, which are being kept updated with information on all affected council services. Though it confirms that some of the bins in Redland have not been checked since October!

But it’s not all about grit bins, the council says that additional staff have been deployed to help with gritting outside public buildings such as elderly people’s homes; and that all refuse collections, street cleansing and Bulky collections are suspended until further notice. Residents are advised to put out their waste as normal and it will be collected when services resume. Councillor Bev Knott, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “The council is delivering on its promise to provide additional grit drops across the city. All the 600 grit bins in Bristol have been filled and members of the public are being encouraged to make use of these on roads in their area and on the pavement once an area has been cleared. It should not be used for private paths. We are also asking people to be a good neighbour and to clear the paths of any older people in their street.”

So do you think the council is doing enough to combat the side effects of the big freeze? Or would you like to see your council tax better spent to help keep things moving?

Photo by Simon Holliday via Flickr