The Shanghai Public Sanitation Bureau had all of its workers out sweeping snow yesterday but could not manage to reach all corners of the city.

The bureau wants to encourage businesses and shops to help clear the snow from the front of their doorways to ease the burden on its workers.

The bureau's men and women began shovelling snow at 3am Saturday and by yesterday had cleared 90 million square meters of the white stuff from the city's roads and pavements.

The bureau has more than 400 vehicles ready for action including 10 specialist salt spreaders but most of the work still has to be done with shovels and brooms.

"The heavy snow falls revealed our lack of equipment and our lack of preparation,'' said Liu Weiguang, a spokesman for the bureau.

Shanghai Yangpu Park, Zhabei Park, Luxun Park and some other parks in northern area, which had heavier snow falls than others, closed yesterday morning for safety reasons.

Shanghai Greenery Administrative Bureau said any park which has slippery roads can close with the approval of the bureau.

(Shanghai Daily January 29, 2008)