ESE Direct

It's all change with the seasons now, Winter has arrived and temperatures are dipping below zero, creating icy conditions.

So, it's time to prepare for the onslaught of freezing temperatures and slippery pavements and roads.

Councils across the UK provide grit bins for public use. The aim of these is to provide grit salt that the public can then spread when required. These are typically placed on roads that are not gritted by gritting trucks. Council provided grit bins are intended to be used to grit public roads and footpaths and are not permitted to be used on private property.

Locations of your local council grit bins

Most local councils provide information on where their grit bins are located. However, this information is not available in a uniform format, varying between councils. Some have provided interactive maps online of where their grit bins are located whereas others have no public information available online.

Here we have collated the information each regional council has provided on their grit bin locations.

England

• Buckinghamshire County Council - Information, no location details
• Cambridgeshire County Council - Information, no location details
• Cumbria County Council Information, no location details
• Derbyshire County Council - Information
• Devon County Council - Information, no location details
• Dorset County Council - Information, no location details
• East Sussex County Council gritting routes
• Essex County Council - Information and map
• Gloucestershire County Council - Information, no location details
• Hampshire County Council - Information 
• Hertfordshire County Council - Information and map
• Kent County Council - Information
• Lancashire County Council - Information, no location details
• Leicestershire County Council - Information
• Lincolnshire County Council - Information, no location details
• Norfolk County Council - Information and map
• North Northamptonshire Gritting, grit bins and winter plans
• North Yorkshire County Council - Information, no location details
• Nottinghamshire County Council - Information, no location details
• Oxfordshire County Council - gritting and snow clearance
• Somerset County Council - Information
• Staffordshire County Council - Information, no location details
• Suffolk County Council - Information, no location details
• Surrey County Council - Information and map
• Warwickshire County Council - Information, no location details
• West Sussex County Council - Information
• Worcestershire County Council - Information and map

More information from district councils in England

In addition to the links above, some district and city councils also provide information online on their grit bin locations, however there are too many to list here.

Scotland

• Aberdeen City - Information and map
• Aberdeenshire County - Information, no location details
• Angus - Information with address search for nearest grit bin
• Argyll and Bute - Information, no location details
• Clackmannanshire - Information and map
• Dumfries & Galloway - Information and map
• Dundee City - Information and map
• East Ayrshire - Information and Ayrshire gritter tracking information
• East Dunbartonshire - Information and map
• East Lothian - Information
• East Renfrewshire - Information and map
• Edinburgh City - Information and map
• Falkirk - Information and map
• Fife - Information
• Glasgow City - Information
• The Highlands -Information and map
• Inverclyde - no information
• Midlothian - no information
• Moray- Information, no location details
• North Ayrshire winter gritting information and grit bin location finder
• North Lanarkshire - map
• Orkney Islands - Information, no location details
• Perth and Kinross - Information, no location details
• Renfrewshire - Information and map
• Scottish Borders - Information, no location details
• Shetland Islands - no information found
• South Ayrshire - information and map
• South Lanarkshire - Information and map
• West Dunbartonshire - Information and map
• Western Isles - no information found
• West Lothian - Information, no location details

Wales

• Anglesey County - Information and location details
• Blaenau Gwent County Borough - Information and location details
• Bridgend County Borough - Information and location details
• Caerphilly County Borough - Information, no location details
• Cardiff City - Location details
• Carmarthenshire County - Information, no location details
• Ceredigion County - Information
• Conwy County Borough - Information, no location details
• Denbighshire County- Information and location details
• Flintshire County - Information, no location details
• Gwynedd County - Information, no location details
• Merthyr Tydfil County Borough - Information, no location details
• Monmouthshire County - no information found
• Neath Port Talbot County Borough - no information found
• Newport City - Information
• Pembrokeshire County - No information found
• Powys County gritting services
• Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough - Information,
• Swansea City and County - Information, no location details
• Torfaen County and Borough - Information, no location details
• Vale of Glamorgan County Borough - Information and location details
• Wrexham County Borough - Information, no location details

Northern Ireland

Unfortunately we were unable to find any information regarding public grit bins in Northern Ireland.

Grit bins on OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap is a mapping system where members of the public can contribute towards its mapping data. There are some grit bin locations that have been plotted on OpenStreetMap, but this map is far from complete.

View map on OpenStreetMap.

How to get a grit bin

If you believe there should be a grit bin on your street, available for public use for gritting public roads and footpaths, then these are provided by your County Council. However, any requests or queries regarding grit bins for public use should in the first instance be directed to your Parish or District Council who should contact your County Council directly for you. If you would like a grit bin for use on private property, then take a look at the grit bins here at ESE Direct.