Cheshire East Council home page

Grit bins

We have around 500 grit bins across Cheshire East to help treat icy roads and pavements. Find out where grit bins are, how we keep them stocked, and what to do if you need to report a problem or request a new bin. Grit bins help keep public roads and pavements safe during icy conditions. The grit is for public roads and footpaths only, not for private driveways or property

Find a grit bin

Use our map of grit bin locations to find your nearest bin.

Stocking programme

We fill grit bins before winter as part of our pre-season preparation. We may refill them after a long period of heavy snow if resources allow, but we do not restock bins outside scheduled times.

Request a new grit bin

We assess requests for new grit bins based on factors such as: 

  • road gradient
  • nearby bends and junctions
  • the number of properties
  • whether the road was previously on a gritting route

To request a new bin use our traCE our online reporting tool.

  1. select the location
  2. choose the gritting and grit bins category
  3. and submit a request

Requests are reviewed April to September for the next winter season.
See our grit bin assessment (PDF, 555KB)

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Some bins are owned by Parish or Town Councils, Residents Associations, or individuals.

  • We do not refill privately owned bins.
  • If a bin is on private land, the owner is responsible for maintenance and refilling.

If a bin is ours and meets the criteria, we will restock it during pre-season preparation.

Damaged, missing or vandalised grit bins

If a grit bin is damaged, missing or unusable, we will check if it meets the criteria for replacement. Repairs or replacements may happen after winter as resources focus on gritting roads. Restocking happens during pre-season, not ad-hoc.

Where salt from the bins is being misused then this can be reported in confidence to the Council. If it is seen being stolen, then this should be reported directly to the police along with the make, model and registration number of any vehicle involved.

Other examples of misuse include:

  • using salt on private driveways
  • contaminating bins with rubbish
  • leaving bins unused so salt solidifies

Repeated misuse or vandalism may lead to bin removal.

If any of our bins are missing or become unusable because the bin is damaged or vandalised, the criteria will be applied to see if it qualifies to be replaced. This may be after the winter season as resources will be prioritised to salt the network. It will then be stocked as part of or pre-season preparation, not on an ad-hoc basis.

You can ask us to fix or replace a damaged grit bin by reporting it online.

Should an existing grit bin owned by us have regular instances of salt misuse for the treatment of private driveways or frequently vandalised, we reserve the right to remove it.

You can buy salt for private use from supermarkets, garden centres and some garages during winter.

Page last reviewed: 11 December 2025