There’s no business like snow business... (From The Argus)

There’s no business like snow business...

3:51pm Thursday 7th January 2010

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By Jo Chipchase - Letting off steam »

With Britain in the continuing grip of the ‘Big Freeze’, there’s nothing like a flurry of snow to engender community spirit... or is there?

I was brought up in the Frozen North (Newcastle, as mentioned in my last posting) where snow settled more frequently and in a greater depth than it generally does in Brighton. People weren’t shocked to the core if they encountered six inches of the white stuff outside.

Here, it’s a different story. Yes, the snow is disruptive. Yes, it’s dangerous to drive on snowbound roads that haven’t been gritted. And, yes, icy pavements increase the number of people visiting A&E.

However, the amount of panicking over a light local snowfall yesterday was somewhat unwarranted, I felt. My friend works in Brighton & Hove Council and her department was sent home by the police. Meanwhile, in Newhaven, people were panic-buying goods in the Coop (formerly Somerfield), where the day’s delivery hadn’t got through either, meaning I was forced to buy skimmed milk instead of semi- skimmed and frozen parsnips for dinner. And there was only a small amount of wet snow on the ground at the time. Sheesh!

My friend who works in the council flapped endlessly about the inch of snow, while another friend missed work in Hastings because some flakes were flying in his face en route. After my pre-Christmas motoring experiences in inclement conditions, I can understand that this is off-putting but the snow wasn’t all that heavy and it’s hardly the spirit of the Blitz, now is it? It’s like wartime – with no food on the shelves and the city falling apart - but without the will to enter battle.

And, worse still, debate has been raging here on The Argus over whether householders should clear snow from outside their own property. The naysayers suggest that property-owners could be sued if a pedestrian later falls over on the cleared area because ice has formed. Eventually, someone with a background in personal liability poured cold water on this idea. But really! Does anybody use commonsense these days or are they all obsessing about Health and Safety rules and risk assessments? I hear that cat litter is handy for gritting paths. Just make sure it hasn’t been used by the cat first otherwise, perhaps, you really will be sued for causing a public health hazard.