The City of Saskatoon is warning residents of the dangers that could come with climbing on or tunnelling through snow piles.

In a release, the City says while the piles might seem like an inviting place to play, when they are in the roadway or located in busy parking lots, they can be dangerous, as it is easy to slip into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

On top of that, snow piles often have soft spots or air pockets that people can fall into and suffocate, and walking on them can cause snow piles to collapse altogether, especially during the thaw.

Snow grading in residential neighbourhoods and industrial areas continues as part of the Roadways Emergency Response Plan, and crews have started to tackle the snow piles along the roadways where sightlines may be reduced.

Snow piles will only be removed from Priority 1 streets, and that’s expected to begin on Monday, March 11 and should take two weeks.

Snow removal on residential streets will not take place unless there is a localized serious safety concern or significant drainage issue, which will be assessed and addressed as required.