Sir – When picking up my son this evening (December 24) from just outside the Holiday Inn hotel at the Peartree roundabout I was amazed to see a van having great difficulty manoeuvring on the solid ice in the drop-off area.
The hotel staff told my son that they had not cleared the ice because of the fear of legal action if anyone was hurt falling later.
When home I tried to contact the hotel to get confirmation of this, but of course could not find any contact details on their website — so much for communications.
If it is true that a decision was taken not to clear the roadways, was it a local decision? Was it a corporate decision?
Is whoever took the decision aware that the hoary old chestnut about legal action is an urban myth (see www.direct.gov.uk/en/ Nl1/Newsroom/DG_191868 More importantly, in these days when people are often helping each other, their neighbours, the elderly etc etc is it really the policy of a major hotel chain that they do not clear the roadways? Surely at times, to hell with the letter of the law; common humanity prevails, or should do so.
As I could not ask directly for clarification, I hope that Holiday Inns will oblige through your column.
Richard Shock, Oxford
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