Farron moves parliamentary motion to stop Blame and Claim culture hindering big freeze clean up

People who clear snow and ice should not be held liable for any accidents which may occur as a result, according to South Lakeland MP Tim Farron, who is calling for a change in law to stop "community-spirited" members of the public from being sued for acting with good intentions.

The recent big freeze saw car parks, pavements and driveways frozen solid and Mr Farron believes many of these were not cleared because of a fear of liability if someone suffered an injury.

Tim has tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons calling on the Government to bring forward legislation to clarify the situation so that people, businesses and organisations which clear snow and ice are not threatened with potential legal action as a reward for their public-spirited action.

Commenting Mr Farron said:

"During this month's big freeze, I spoke to a number of businesses who were concerned about whether they would be liable for damages should they decide to clear paths and roads and someone was then injured after that space had been cleared.

"The uncertainty created by the 'where there is blame there is a claim' culture has undermined the traditional community response to winter conditions and has resulted in roads and paths being much more dangerous than they should have been.

"The Government should clarify the situation so that people, businesses and organisations aren't threatened with legal action for their community-spirited action."