BIG FREEZE CHAOS TO GET WORSE
Travel warning as snow, black ice and gales cause disruption
BRITAIN now faces Arctic conditions until Christmas Day after waking up under a blanket of snow yesterday.
Bitter winds are forecast to keep temperatures below freezing in many areas. And further wintry showers are predicted over the next fortnight.
Families woke to a winter wonderland yesterday after up to a foot of snow fell on Saturday night – with more due last night.
Several inches settled by the end of the day leaving swathes of the UK under a thick white layer.
Severe weather brought the most widespread snow for five years, sparking chaos on roads, railways and airports. Lethal “black ice” was expected today.
Temperatures plunged to as low as -12C in Scotland on Saturday night
while much of the country sank below freezing. Even lower temperatures were expected last night.
Workers faced a miserable commute this morning with icy roads and pavements expected after another bitterly cold night and high winds were likely to cause widespread disruption for travellers.
The RAC motoring organisation is expecting 11,000 car breakdowns today, which is 20 per cent above the seasonal norm.
Spokesman Pete Williams said: “I think the big thing is people are not going to leave enough time.
“Journeys will take two to three times longer. It’s going to be treacherous driving conditions.”
Highways England said thousands of tonnes of salt has been spread on the M1, M5, M6, M40, M42, M69 and the A5 and A49 ahead of the snow and possible black ice.
Last night they urged drivers to carry warm clothing, food and drink and prepare for “any eventuality” before travelling.
The mercury will nosedive back into minus double figures tonight with further snowfall forecast across the country.
After a brief mild spell mid-week, bitter winds from the North Pole will blast back by the weekend, experts warned. Arctic conditions threaten to hold out through the festive period prompting bookies to slash White Christmas odds.
Disruptive
James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, said: “Cold weather will dominate through the start of this week as north-westerly winds veer across the British Isles.
“This will be accompanied by further snowfall which could be heavy and disruptive across central and southern parts.
“Night-time temperatures will be exceptionally cold. This period of cold weather will pave the way for further snow and cold in the run up to the festive period.”
The Met Office has issued further warnings for snow and ice across Scotland this morning with a separate ice alert in the south.
Forecaster Oli Claydon said: “We are expecting a really cold start to the week especially where snow has settled. Temperatures tonight could get back down to -12C in parts.”
Chief forecaster Steve Ramsdale warned people to take extra care on frozen roads and pavements today.
“Some injuries are possible from falls on icy surfaces and there will probably be some icy patches on untreated roads and cycle paths,” he said.
Yesterday brought the first significant snowfall to many parts of the country since January 2013. The biggest fall was in Sennybridge in Wales where over a foot fell. This was followed by Hereford with seven inches and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire with almost the same.
Meanwhile, rain showers fell across southern Britain with London, Kent and Essex getting a soaking.
The West Country was also hit with 90mph winds. Stormy conditions overnight and into the early hours of yesterday led to road and bridge closures and flooding in Devon.
Passengers travelling from Manchester, Heathrow and Gatwick Airports faced delays while Birmingham
and Luton Airports suspended flights due to snow on runways.
Motorists faced long delays on the M1 due to accidents with many other motorways and major roads around the country affected.
The A5 in Shropshire, M40 in Warwickshire, A417 in Gloucestershire, A458 in Shropshire and the A5 near Shrewsbury were closed.
A gritter overturned and landed on its roof due to the icy roads and heavy snowfall in Tamworth, Staffordshire. Jonathan Moore, who saw the vehicle overturned on the road, said: “God knows how they managed to put it on its roof. It’s the kind that are supposed to go out and clear the roads so that they’re safe.”
Last night police urged people to avoid all but essential journeys.
Network Rail announced there would be no CrossCountry trains between Birmingham and Bristol yesterday due to a landslide caused by adverse weather conditions.
Thousands of rail passengers were also stranded at London’s Euston station due to trains cancelled because of the weather. The snow also affected medical staff getting to work yesterday. At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham nurses went to work on their day off, many walking through the heavy snow to care for patients.
Nurses in Cardiff and Bridgend were also asked to volunteer to work extra shifts due to the bad weather.
Staff at the British Red Cross helped move blood supplies and medical gear in some areas.
Stormy weather also hit the French port of Calais. It had to close after a ferry carrying 316 people ran aground in the Channel.