Priority pavements are getting a preventative dose of salt this year as early snow is looks likely to hit South London tonight.

The council hopes this will help pedestrians in the busiest parts of the borough.

The council have also said those clearing snow from the pavement outside their homes should follow some simple guidelines.

Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for highways, said: “A lot of people think that they shouldn’t do this because they are at risk of getting sued if someone falls over as a result. Actually, as long as you take sensible precautions this is extremely unlikely - and there is certainly no law against clearing away snow and ice yourself.”

According to the government’s main website (DirectGov) residents should clear ice and snow soon after it has fallen; make sure they don’t block drains or leave piles of snow where people are likely to trip and do not use water to melt snow because it will turn into ice, a tablespoon of table or dishwasher salt should be used for every metre of path.

The website recommends that you clear a small strip down the middle of the path first and then use this as a safe place to stand when clearing the rest. And if you don’t have any salt available then you can use sand or ash. These won’t melt the snow, but they will at least provide better grip.

Coun Thomas also called on residents to be good neighbours - especially if they know of elderly or disabled people living nearby.

He said: “I recently saw dozens of people who’d been secretly filmed around Croydon for the ‘Pride of Britain’ awards show. They were doing good turns for complete strangers, and so I’m absolutely positive that there are many, many more people out there who will look out for their neighbours if the weather turns to snow this year.”