Petition · past parliament
Clearing pavements of ice should not bring legal liability if someone then falls
Closed
32 signatures
What the petition asks
The law is such that persons clearing public pavements of snow and ice, e.g. outside their house or business, are then liable for civil action in the event someone slips, whereas not clearing the ice means you are not responsible, and thus can't be sued. The result is more dangerous pavements.
While the principle of "liability where actions have been taken" is sound, in this case it results in a less beneficial outcome.
Government advice is "you're unlikely to be sued", but that is hardly encouraging. https://www.gov.uk/clear-snow-road-path-cycleway
There will always be a grey area where the use of inappropriate methods (like warm water) should be admissible when determining blame, but in the absence of such proof, the intent to clear ice in itself should not bring liability.
Government advice is "you're unlikely to be sued", but that is hardly encouraging. https://www.gov.uk/clear-snow-road-path-cycleway
There will always be a grey area where the use of inappropriate methods (like warm water) should be admissible when determining blame, but in the absence of such proof, the intent to clear ice in itself should not bring liability.
Timeline
| 22 Mar 2018 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 22 Sep 2018 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
32
Status
Closed
Opened
22 Mar 2018
Closed
22 Sep 2018
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.