Lewisham should reinstate the yellow plastic salt hoppers, and as long as people follow 3 or 4 simple rules when clearing the snow from 'their' pavement, then Lewisham should act as guarantor and pick up the cost of any rogue legal case.

There would be absolutely no excuses then - nearly everyone can at least safely fill an old saucepan with rocksalt and sprinkle it outside their home.

The key point is the distribution of salt, as just clearing the snow most often makes the pavement more dangerous.