To think the bloke who told me off for taking grit out of the grit bin should fuck off

[Birdbox181]

This morning, I had to get my elderly neighbour to a hospital appointment. She has bone cancer in both hips. Her drive way was very slippery this morning. A fall for her could be fatal. She's on crutches.

I drove to the nearest grit bin I could find, filled a bag for life, probably a quarter full and put it down on her front door step, drive way and the pavement outside her property.

As I was putting it into my bag a bloke stopped and reprimanded me, telling me it's not for private use. I explained the situation and but he wasn't interested.

What an absolute cock.

Private use? FFS. They're for treating roads and pavements! Using the grit to prevent falls - literally what grit bins are for. Otherwise what's the point of them? They're not ornaments. I bet he took your point but often men people don't want to climb down from their high horse once they've chastised somebody - shoot first, ask questions later 🙄Uggh

I don't know where you are OP but in the London Borough where I grew up (Croydon) the Council made it clear that the grit in bins was there for public use.

Use by the public on pavements and roads but surely not for their own drives and garden paths.

What an arsehole. Well done you for helping your neighbour.

Grit bins are for public roads and pavements. They are generally placed where there is a need for them due to past experience - people slipping on paths or getting stuck pulling up a hill or slipping down. I have regularly used the one closest to us when cars have started sliding around to save crashes.

Of course you can’t drive to a grit bins help yourself and drive off to use on your own property!

I'd always wondered what and who the grit in bins was for. Now I know.

I've just bought a 10kg bag of rock salt & grit online and had it delivered. I'm glad to be able to put it down on my own property as I'm very worried about falling too. I hadn't realised I could get it delivered.

Public use on roads and pavements, not your own land!

And, no doubt have complained if a car skidded into your car.

He was in the wrong - as soon as you explained what you needed the grit for. Your compassion for your neighbour trumps any 'righteousness' he had to offer.

Some people just have to be officious about rules - even ones that are not their business.

It was a horrible encounter for you - and so undeserved!

As children my Dad always told us to assume that people who were unjustifyably mean/difficult/rude had serious stomach ache (or some other pain we could not see) -to help us cope with their injustice.

Perhaps it will help to think of Mr Grit-Hord-Controller :) as a secret sufferer rather than the insufferable-mean-mardy-miserable-man he might actually be.

I hope that the rest of your day - and your neighbour's was much better.

Well OP was doing a public duty helping an elderly person get to a hospital appointment. She’s got bone cancer and uses crutches, but shit she had to rely on a neighbour to get her to hospital

Our local council is very clear it must NOT be used. Probably what was done on this thread was theft and the person could get a criminal record and even go to jail so best not to repeat the exercise.

My dh works for the Highways Agency and also does the winter gritting. He says the yellow salt bins are for the public's use. The guy is a knob!

Even if it isn’t technically what it’s supposed to be used for, why would ANYONE actually begrudge a bit of grit in these circumstances?!

An elderly woman with serious health issues that could very well die if she slips over……who on earth begrudges a bit of grit being used for that??? 😳

Certainly it would have been preferable if the neighbour had some salt if her own to use but she didn’t. Some is now on order for next time.

It’s not as if it’s going to prompt a stampede for the grit fir heaven’s sake.

Honestly, a bit of compassion really would go a long way for some people.

Do you have a link for that, but everything I read states the public can use it (if gritters and council can't get to them) but they are not for personal use.

ie public can use for public spaces.

FFS it’s a bit of grit. You think any council would jail the OP for taking half a bag ful from the salt bin to prevent her seriously ill neighbour from a life threatening fall ? The potential adverse publicity alone would prevent them from taking action.

Agreed. Next time, just ignore.

A stranger isn't the boss of you.

What about the person driving their terminally ill seven year old to their hospital appointment who can’t get out of their road because some prick had driven to their grit bin and emptied it to use on their drive so there was none left to spread on the road? Or the carer, reliant on her car to reach those she cars for, who skidded into traffic at a junction because there was no grit?

The word that springs immediately to mind for him is jobsworth - I’d rather act like you than him any day

Oh come on that is ridiculous. As if the council would prosecute OP for helping out a disabled neighbour.

The police and CPS certainly wouldn't be interested.

There's a grit bin near me and people use it for their paths all the time.

Some "prick"? Come on, listen to yourself. Would you speak to the OP like that in real life?

Technically the council grits the main roads so all you have to do is get out of your own road or adjacent roads to one which has been done. And a bag for life's worth is not going to empty the bin.

My goodness the responses on here. There are some very weird people around.

Edited: also, if people got winter tyres they would be much less likely to skid anyway. Where I live, they would be a waste of effort. But there are plenty of areas in the UK where it is probably sensible to get them.

They are wrong to.

The moments gone, forget about it.

The council website I quickly looked at all say pubic roads and pavements only and not private land but honestly I can't see anyone at council or anywhere caring - it's a small one off amount and better than a fall.

There is one at our junction - it's used by locals for the road junction mostly - and really bad icy pavements more occasionally - but of there was a frail person drive I think most would chuck some grit to avoid a fall and think nothing of it.