‘Beast from East’ back for a second cold snap BLAENAU FFESTINIOG
MOTORISTS faced treacherous driving conditions over the weekend as snow hit the region, closing roads and shutting leisure facilities.
The Beast from the East roared back for another bite, with police warning drivers to only get behind the wheel if necessary and to stay off the highways.
Met Office weather warnings were in place for Wales, with a yellow alert covering the north east, but it was clear the rest of the region had been affected.
Tweets from North Wales Police kept motorists informed of road closures and disruption.
One said: “A snowy scene across most of North Wales this morning. Please travel only if necessary, take precautions, check your vehicle is roadworthy and slow down.”
Officers in Wrexham also took to social media to issue a snowball warning, writing: “And kids, if you are snowball fighting, please do so with friends who want to take part, not those who don’t or people you don’t know. You’d be amazed at how many snowball calls we receive! Diolch.”
The Horseshoe Pass in Denbighshire and the A470 between Llan Ffestiniog and Gellilydan were shut due to snow.
At one point, Traffic Cymru had rolling road blocks on the A55 at Penmaenbach Headland due to icicles.
Photos also tweeted by police and highways chiefs showed snow on the roads which was impacting travel across the region including the A543 in Denbighshire, Betws y Coed and the A5 between Capel Curig and Llyn Ogwen.
North Wales councils said gritting teams had been out to salt the main highways as the cold blast continued to sweep the region.
The good news was that forecasters say winter finally seems to be easing its grip, with temperatures only a little below the seasonal average to look forward to – but with the chance of a short cold snap in the last week of March.