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It is the A3 north of Horndean NOT the A3(M)

You all knew it was coming so how come yet again you weren't ready for it? I drove past one of your gritting stations at longmoore camp on the A3 in the afternoon the day it came in and it had one 25 tonne lorry load of grit being tipped in the bay. So it shows they was not ready for it...

pls grit geenfields

It is all very well keeping the major roads gritted/salted but, if you cannot get to a major road then it is of little comfort. Assisting others to traverse our region is fine but what of us who live here? When can we expect snow ploughs and gritters to clear other roads?

I am assuming Bin collections will be suspended today (sat) for Tilmore Gardens but it would be great to see this page updated more regularly (even if it is to say that the situation remains unchanged with a date/time stamp) ....so that we know we have the latest news on all EHDC services- after all if we do miss a bin collection we are in massive trouble as it makes it a month between collections......

To EHDC where can we buy or collect road salt/grit from as we have cleared our road but need some salt for it?

"Refuse and recycling collections have been suspended. Please leave your bin out and we will collect it as soon as possible." So, instead of using your powerful vehicles to help open up pathways in the snow and ice on the roads around residential areas you abandon a further obligation by telling us to dump our bins on the pathways adding a further hazard to our environement. Your inability to provide any service at all to the needs of residents is shameful.

You Guys are doing a great job with your snow updates etc - much better than BBC radio! Guy Stacpoole http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/today.asp?zipcode=gu35 and type in your own postcode.

Great service from you snowmen & women thank you. My gutters are looping out under the weight of melting snow and 4' icicles http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/today.asp?zipcode=gu35 Guy Stacpoole

Heatherlands estate could do with gritting as its hard work getting out of the junction by one stop especially for the old people who have to travel further afield for food supply's or medication even the path's are Lethal to those who are able to walk ok. I know you have a busy time at the moment but it would not take long really i used to do gritting in the past

Thank you all for your comments. Messages regarding gritting will be forwarded directly to Hampshire County Council who have responsibility for keeping our roads clear. Messages regarding the collection of bins will be put to EHDC's environmental services team who are making great efforts to resume the bin collection service. In the mean time please but your bin out on the scheduled day and it will be collected as soon as is safely possible. Will Parsons, EHDC Communications Officer

So, at long last we see a digger clearing snow. Then he leaves without clearing our street, Meadow Way (Malthouse Meadows). Left behind are piles of snow on the footpaths and ice trails on the road, no grit, no salt. Still impassable and even more frustrating. After SIX days we still cannot drive out of our own driveways.

A big 4-wheel drive digger came to our road today. By the time he had fiished going up and down, scraping snow from the surface, he had left huge piles of snow further blocking access. In addition he compacted the layer of snow even more, making it even more treacherous. It seemed like a complete waste of time. I understand that once a road has been cleared or snow-ploughed, it should be immediately gritted? Otherwise the whole excercise is pointelss? Therefore a complete waste of money & resource?

Other countries manage to function in snow by keeping roads clear. Surely the cost of suspending other services far outweighs the cost of gritting the roads?? We could all then go about business as usual, including refuse collections! Is this due to Council cost-saving and cut-backs or is there really a shortage of grit? Is there a "50% off January Sale" on Council Tax this month or must we pay through the nose for services pre-paid but not received? Sorry, rant over. :-)

Please can you grit Hogmoor Road! The main roads are great but its getting to them. Hogmoor Road is still dangerous, the hills along the road are deadly and many people cant get up them.

Our local authorities are responsible for clearing snow and ice from the public highway and pavement. Under Section 41(1A) of the Highways Act 1980, the council must ensure that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice. It's quite clear HCC or EHDC are unable, unwilling, or under-resourced, to do the job and I would have thought it would be sensible for them to empower local people to do the job on their behalf. If the local authority fails to act, you can apply to the magistrates' court under the same legislation for an order to unblock the highway within a reasonable period - as you can imagine such orders are very rare indeed. In many countries used to snow, the onus is on the property owner to clear their section of pavement. The current position whereby nothing gets done is plain daft and we must put pressure on local authorities to either do the clearing job or let us do it without fear of legal repercussions.

What is the advice from EHDC to shop owners, residents and comunity self help groups who would like to clear pavements of snow and ice? Where EHDC are currently unable to do the job themselves, in Grayshott for example, are they prepared to empower local people to do this without fear of legal repercussions? Is it time the law changed to empower property owners to clear pavements? Or perhaps as in other countries even place the onus on them to do so? It must be time for change as the current absurd situation, whereby nothing gets done, is putting people at avoidable risk of injury. Would EHDC be legally liable for an accident on an uncleared pavement as they are responsible for clearing snow and ice from the public highway and pavement. Under Section 41(1A) of the Highways Act 1980, the council must ensure that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice.

We live on Honey lane in Selborne which remains unpassable unless you have a tractor or 4x4. Not once since we were all aware the snow was coming both prior to Xmas and this recent fall have they gritted. This has left us snowed in and having to walk our children to school. If we have a next time please think and prepare yourselves!

I guess this is what happens when you freeze council tax for 3 years.

Why doesn't everyone stop moaning. This is an unusually large amount of snow combined with a prolonged period of sub-zero temperatures. Everyone seems to be trying thier hardest to please the people who moan the loudest. Sure, it would be great to have huge salt reserves "just in case" but would everyone be happy to pay increased council tax for salt that may not be needed? As for refuse collections, I'm sure the operatives have nothing to gain by not collecting rubbish, indeed it makes thier jobs that much harder when they resume. I, (as a fleet operator), know how difficult it is to manouver large vehicles in tricky conditions and don't fancy seeing refuse vehicles taking out all the vehicles which "Joe public" abandoned. So, come on, show that British spirit that the silent majority are showing, and STOP moaning.

Bin collections: Unfortunately because some roads are still not accessible to our collection vehicles, it is impossible to know which rounds will be completed on which day. Crews will be doing their best to catch up on refuse collections from last week and then refuse collections for this week. Therefore please put your green refuse bin out and leave it out and we will collect it as soon as possible. Glass, Garden and Bulky Waste collections have been suspended to ensure enough resource is available for refuse collections. Clinical waste collections are also running late. Residents can help by making sure bins are not frozen in and footpaths/road are clear. Gritting: Hampshire County Council is responsible for grit bins, gritting and clearing roads of snow. Please see the Information and advice on http://www3.hants.gov.uk/roads which is Hampshire Highway's website.

I would just like to pass on my thanks to the persons responsible for clearing the road with there tractor with front loader around the estate I live on Thank You

I'm a contractor to a council NOT EHDC I have been shovelling snow and throwing grit since the weekend and have had many Thankyous BUT have also had a lot of Grief from company's and general public for not being there sooner. As for grit shortages if people used the grit bins that are around the roads and carparks for what they are put there for and not collecting it in bags and putting it in they're cars and taking home (they know who they are) for use at there home pathways/ driveways instead of actually spreading on the hills or dangerous bends it was put there for? If they did the roads and car parks would be better passable Many a bin i have gone to use has been empty and no sign of it on the surrounding area resulting in having to use the supply on the back of my truck which was meant for some place else So it's just a minority of selfless people who don't want to spend around £5 or £6 for a 25k bag of rock salt from a building supplier or diy place.

make sure you grits the road its affecting my school

it is all very well grting the major roads but what about the villiages as we can not get to these roads and there are a lot elderly that need to get food delivery and help to them

Very poor service for those living in cul-de-sacs with the roads left covered in ice/snow and neglected. We expect and deserve better than this. Having freezing temperatures, snow etc in winter is hardly going to catch many people by surprise. Basic services like keeping the roads/pavements clear and bins collected are what we taxpayers want and need - not money wasted on pointless eco pet-projects...

Grit may be in short supply but please please rescue residents of Bighton Road/Goatacre and Paice Lane. Our roads are lethal still with thick compact snow and as most of us can't reach a main road without driving up a steep hill we need help! I have elderly neighbours, one needing to see a doctor. As there are so many farmers around here, presumably with very little to do at the moment why can't they be employed to assist the council? There are 2 grit bins on Common Hill, please move one down and site opposite Goatacre Road, residents can then spread their own grit although both at the moment need re filling as what is left is frozen solid.

I was pleased to see the efforts of my neighbours who hadn't been able to get to work gathering together to shovel the snow to clear our road to make it safe to drive to the larger roads. I had been at work all day but helped once I got home and think if more people did their bit to help we could all help ourselves. Well done and thank you to people who have made the effort to do something!

Thank you for managing to find Finchdean today, eight days after the ‘event’ and when the thaw was beginning to set in. But, did your digger driver really have to dump the snow in such large piles on the only footpath running through this hamlet? We alone pay over £2,300 p.a. Council Tax and for what? I would suggest, that as you seem incapable of clearing our roads, that you supply this hamlet with grit bins so at least we can do the hills ourselves. Please don’t send me your Partners magazine, as you will no doubt boast at the sterling job you did to keep the district clear and running, as we know differently. Oh, and our unemptied bin is still sitting outside the gate. Mrs L. Guess, Finchdean.