Are property owners obliged to grit?

[tester1]

I work in insurance and have noticed a surge in claims for people falling in ice in recent weather.
Personally if I fell on ice I would get up and brush myself off if I could and think no more.
However I was wondering if there is any law/obligation etc on property owners ie shopping centres/hotels to grit paths etc.
Ice is an act of god so what can the claimant allege against the insured.
The insured has a duty of care agains the claimant but is continuous gritting in bad weather conditions onerous????

 

[shesells]

It was rumoured that if you gritted/swept/cleared the path in front of your property and someone fell/slipped then they could make a claim against you. This was spread by the insurance companies according to the Minister for the Environment who refuted this. However, it certainly is the case in the UK. Madness!!

I'm guessing ice is act of God, interfering with the act makes you responsible? Or that's what this rumour said?

 

[sse]

The legal advice I saw on TV in the UK was that you should stop your clearance/gritting at the boundaries of your own property. If you do not you are potentially liable for a claim of malfeasance against you. I believe you cannot be sued for nonfeasance, i.e. doing nothing, on others' property. It was noticeable that most shops etc. I saw hadn't cleared the pavement in front of their shops in the recent cold snap. The context on the news report was people clearing old people's paths and then callers etc. slipping and sueing.

I think you must take "reasonable care" to grit/clear your own property.

No idea if this is true or just an urban myth, just passing on what I saw on the BBC.

SSE