FAQs

 

From time to time, we receive various questions with regards to the gritting and snow clearance services that we supply to our clients. Below is a list of the more common questions which will give a clearer understanding of the service we provide, how and why.

Who are Nurture Gritting?

Nurture Gritting is a dedicated division within Nurture Landscapes and trades as Nurture Landscapes Ltd. Nurture Gritting employs specialist gritting personnel with over 30 years of experience across the UK to deliver winter gritting and snow clearance services to our clients’ sites, from Cornwall to the Islands of Scotland and N. Ireland.

What services do you provide?

Nurture Gritting’s main service provision is the gritting and snow clearance of commercial and industrial premises as dictated by our clients. We are also able to supply grit bins, salt and other winter products to aid the removal of ice and snow during the winter season.

What is the winter season?

The standard winter season is 1st November through to 31st March, although the UK can be susceptible to colder weather outside of these times. We monitor the weather from October to the end of April to ensure that you are covered should there be an unseasonal cold snap.

What areas of our site would you cover?

Nurture will create and agree with the client a gritting plan. This is a mapped area using our professional mapping software which will show all areas that will require service. We will service all hard landscaped areas within the boundaries of the site.

Does the council not grit our roads?

The council will only service specific public roads and footpaths as directed within their own council remits. Unadopted or privately owned roads/estates/sites which are managed by agents or owners will not be gritted by the council and must be serviced if used by employees or visitors to the site.

Does there need to be a contract in place?

Yes. A contract needs to be in place in order for service to be provided. All details pertaining to the site are recorded on our system and will automatically be activated for service if the triggers have been breached by the weather forecast for that day.

Is my liability protected with your service?

Yes, Nurture provides fully insured protection and will even co-defend a claim in court if required. Although no company can take away liability from the owners of a site, we can protect it. By having the full contracted service in place, Nurture has all the required insurances, fully auditable processes and procedures to protect that liability.

How am I kept informed?

Nurture has an extremely technologically advanced system in place called Ice Master to provide service to sites. Whenever a site is activated for service from the weather forecast, an activation email will be sent to all pre-defined personnel. Once the site is serviced, a secondary completion email is sent the following morning. At the end of each month a full service visit & costs report will be sent. All servicing data can also be accessed through the Ice Master portal along with daily service activity.

How can you prove service was completed?

Your confirmation of service completion is the completion email which is sent the morning after service has been completed. Additionally, we also have advanced processes in place for capturing service data. Each operator is assigned a PDA which captures data for each service visit. This data is uploaded onto our Ice Master system and is made available for a minimum of 7 years. In addition to the data captured by the PDA and the Ice Master system, each vehicle is also fitted with a HD GPS tracker system that records every second of movement by that vehicle during each visit.

What happens when there is snow?

Prior to any forecasted major snow event, Nurture will be in contact with all clients that could be affected. This is usually a few days in advance and becomes more geographically specific as the snow event gets closer. This gives clients the ability to proactively plan what they would like to do with their own staff and business. When snow does arrive, then a quick phone call or email requesting snow clearance can be made and we will deploy snow clearance vehicles directly to the site.

Can I cancel service?

Nurture Gritting is one the few major gritting companies that will allow sites that have been activated through the weather forecast to be cancelled. However, it must be pointed out that by doing so can reduce or nullify any liability protection afforded to the site. Service can only be cancelled through the portal or via an email request before 2pm.

When do you service a site?

The standard procedure for service activations is when the forecasted Road Surface Temperature (not air temperature) of a site is predicted to be below 0 degrees Celsius. At this point the system will automatically activate the site for service and email the client for notification.

What forecast do you use?

Nurture work in partnership with the Met Office to provide all the daily forecasts for every site within our portfolio. The forecast is sent directly to our Ice Master system and provides the forecast for Road Surface Temperatures (RST) on an hourly basis from 12pm that day to 11am the following day. All sites are allocated a specific forecast point and if the RST is breached, service will be activated.

My forecast is different to yours?

One of the major differences between the forecast we purchase and the forecasts available online, is where the temperatures are forecast from. Nurture only use Road Surface Temperature (RST) forecasts to activate sites as they are specific to ice formation on the ground and are susceptible to other factors (sun intensity, ground warmth etc). Air Temperatures are recorded at around 6 feet from the ground and may not reflect the actual conditions on the hard landscaped areas of the site. RST forecasts are very specific to our industry and are purchased directly for use within our industry, whereas the forecasts available through various media are Air Temps only.