It's snowing!

[bobb]

I love it when it snows down south ie anything below BirminghM. It's suddenly newsworthy and the whole country grinds to a halt.

It doesn't quite grind to a halt. But I've got to go out soon, so I've got to go up into the loft to dig out my ski gear, as this is getting serious! 

[Jaded]

We’ve got sleet now, on top of a couple of inches of snow.

[T42]

Tipping down here too.  Just been out throwing snowballs for the dogs. They either chase them and search round wildly when they disintegrate on impact, or catch them, whereupon they explode in their teeth. Then they come back for more.

The annoying thing is that The Law makes us responsible for keeping the pavement clear outside our house.  If someone slips and breaks a leg on it we're liable.

                 I thought the law was that if you DID clear anything then and only then were you liable

That's English law.

[ElyDave]

Big fat flabby flakes in NE cambs, warmer than I expected. Settling, but damply so and only up to about an inch or so, so far.

[Quint]

Tipping down here too.  Just been out throwing snowballs for the dogs. They either chase them and search round wildly when they disintegrate on impact, or catch them, whereupon they explode in their teeth. Then they come back for more.

The annoying thing is that The Law makes us responsible for keeping the pavement clear outside our house.  If someone slips and breaks a leg on it we're liable.

                 I thought the law was that if you DID clear anything then and only then were you liable

That's English law.

      Ah

[essexian]

Very good covering here in Stafford, indeed, it is still snowing and has covered my car.... not surprising you may say but the car is under a carport.

Our six cats have been out and back seconds later...they no longer think snow is as interesting as they did when they were kittens, while our stray cat "Eric" has moved into the summer house as we left the heating on in there for him. Not seen our other stray "Albert" so I hope he has found somewhere comfortable to sleep.

Indeed, let's hope everyone without a roof over their heads is safe and warm.

[jsabine]

I thought the law was that if you DID clear anything then and only then were you liable

That's English law.

Mythically, I thought.

The passer-by would have to establish that you'd done it, that you'd been negligent in how you did it, and that you owed them a duty of care.

I suppose it's just possible, if you were spectacularly negligent - mantraps in a snowbank, using water to clear the snow so it later froze, that kind of thing - but any attempt to sue just because you'd done a crap job of snow-clearing would fall over.

[PaulF]

Happydance 

SNObike time on the tracks for few hours

Meanwhile the other side of the hill I beat you to it

33B745F0-AFCE-4857-867F-C11674B96A6F by paulfulford, on Flickr

[CAMRAMan]

A good 4" in Warwick and still falling. Snow, that is.

I am pondering whether to fit the Ice spikers onto the ebike for work tomorrow, or the Marathon Winters onto the Orbit. Either way, it'll be a cold job outside.

[Cunobelin]

only very light sleet here in Southampton

Not even that in Portsmouth!

[Bledlow]

I thought the law was that if you DID clear anything then and only then were you liable

That's English law.

Mythically, I thought.

The passer-by would have to establish that you'd done it, that you'd been negligent in how you did it, and that you owed them a duty of care.

I suppose it's just possible, if you were spectacularly negligent - mantraps in a snowbank, using water to clear the snow so it later froze, that kind of thing - but any attempt to sue just because you'd done a crap job of snow-clearing would fall over.

Yes. I've seen statements from assorted people who one would expect to know, e.g. the HSE, & they all agree that you have to be "spectacularly negligent" before it's an issue.

The HSE calls it one of the 'Twelve Myths of Christmas' - number 10. Unfortunately that's an old page & the link to the details is broken, but I think it's still clear.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/xmasmyths.htm

This one has details -
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/snow-clearing-health-and-safety-myth-shattered

Chair of the Health and Safety Executive Judith Hackitt said:

Anyone can clear ice and snow from public spaces, so don’t be put off because you’re afraid someone will get injured. Remember, people walking on snow and ice have a responsibility to themselves to be careful.

Health and safety legislation is designed to protect people where there is a genuine danger that someone could be killed or seriously injured, not to stop people from getting on with their lives and certainly not to stop people from reducing the risk for themselves and others by clearing snow and ice.

[ian]

It was the law in every part of the US (and I think Canada) I lived in that you had to clear the space outside your house, apartment whatever. The police would actually check. But people mostly did it anyway. I was set up to grit the hill last year when it snowed but the local councillor chap beat me to it (thanks). Odds on, none of the other 50-odd houses back there would have bothered.

Anyway, no snow here on the North Downs, just rain, rain, rain.

[spesh]

only very light sleet here in Southampton

Not even that in Portsmouth!

More like a baby's bottom. Wet and windy.

[T42]

We're due for that. It's still thick in the garden and on the dratted pavement but the stuff falling is now rain and we're due hefty winds this evening.

[woollypigs]

we missed out on the fun

[hellymedic]

Never made it to Danish family gathering.
Booked cab for 10.45 no cab available.
Kept trying.
Gave up 12.15.
Don't want to transfer into a minicab in this!

[ElyDave]

Remember, the vast majority of H&S legislation governs the employee/employer relationship, to stop employer's exploiting their employees and endangering them in doing so. Very few pieces of hse regs, other than perhaps occupiers liability are to do with potential effects on the public, and even that has some limitations.

You as a householder, Vs a random passed by would be governed by general torts on negligence such as Rylands Vs Fletcher, man on the Clapham omnibus etc.

[Basil]

We must be right at the edge of the snow zone.  It's been snowing all morning but not really settling.

Still snowing.  Solidly through the night and all day so far.  Still not settling. 
 
Or
 
I'm not sure which.

[woollypigs]

Take care in that there London I hear that there is riots erm SNO! in Hackney - utterly pandemonium and chaos!

I wouldn't be traveling in London when there is snow. That is taken from 15+ years living there: only once it really snowed there (as in it stayed longer than 4:30PM) and around 2-3 times where there was a dusting lasted a few hours. Looking at how people drove around there I ain't going back out in that in London when snowing.

Heck even oop here in the NORTH, I have seen some right nutters.

[andyoxon]

3-4" here in Oxon.  Went for a local walk, came across a beamer driver being reminded why RWD is not so good in snow.

[Wombat]

Around 250mm here in Caersws, and its still lobbing it down.  No chance of getting any sort of wheeled vehicle up the quarter mile long uphill driveway... Still, we've got food, beer, coal wood fuel, oil for the boilers, we just hope we don't get over snow loaded electricity wires coming down.  We have a relation supposedly coming from Stoke by train tomorrow.  If the train does run (todays seem to be cancelled) then we'll all have to walk down to the village with spare wellies for her, to help with her luggage and get it back here.

If we had actually moved into the house we're allegedly buying, we'd definitely be stuck there.

[De Sisti]

It was the law in every part of the US (and I think Canada) I lived in that you had to clear the space outside your house, apartment whatever. The police would actually check. But people mostly did it anyway. I was set up to grit the hill last year when it snowed but the local councillor chap beat me to it (thanks). Odds on, none of the other 50-odd houses back there would have bothered.

Anyway, no snow here on the North Downs, just rain, rain, rain.

About two hours ago I cleared the path leading up to my front door, the pavement outside the front of my property
and all of the snow off my car (in preparation of driving it to our evening concert; which has since been cancelled).
All of that effort is wasted, as the continuous downfall of snow has replaced the stuff I cleared away.

[Jaded]

First time the winter tyres have encountered sno.

Marvellous.

[iddu]

Happydance 

SNObike time on the tracks for few hours

Meanwhile the other side of the hill I beat you to it

Bag. 5 falls, no submissions, one torn jacket, and a grazed elbow stinging like buggery - good fun... 

[PaulF]

Happydance 

SNObike time on the tracks for few hours

Meanwhile the other side of the hill I beat you to it

Bag. 5 falls, no submissions, one torn jacket, and a grazed elbow stinging like buggery - good fun... 

Fun though isn’t it? Fortunately I’d recovered from my only fall just before the shepherd came up in his 4x4 to check the flock. Riding in his track made the going a lot easier.