BRITAIN’S RUNNING OUT OF GAS
As two storms collide to create our worst winter for 27 years ...
BRITAIN faced a gas shortage last night as some of the worst snow in decades paralysed swathes of the country.
As the extreme weather claimed five more lives, and the military was called in, the National Grid
was forced to take emergency measures to ensure homes do not go cold.
Major industrial gas users were told to cease or scale back production, to release the fuel needed to keep central heating systems supplied. The move last night re-opened a row over the fragility of the nation’s energy supply and Britain’s reliance on foreign gas imports.
The conditions have been caused by a huge flow of cold air, dubbed the Beast from the East, merging with Storm Emma to create blizzards and exceptional cold. Yesterday
much of the country ground to a halt as the Met Office issued England’s first red alert for life-threatening weather. The mercury plummeted to -10C (14F) in places, with up to 19in of snow.
A seven-year-old girl was thought to be the tenth person to lose their life to the conditions after a car lost control in Looe, Cornwall, and hit her.
Twenty people were injured in a 16-vehicle pile-up near Bury, Greater Manchester. Elsewhere yesterday:
Tens of thousands of passengers were stranded at airports, Paddington station closed and rail firms axed
thousands of journeys, while the RAC had attended 8,000 breakdowns by 5pm;
Police told families in Devon, Cornwall, Cumbria and Lincolnshire not to travel unless absolutely necessary;
The military assisted emergency services in delivering aid to the vulnerable;
The NHS warned of a ‘perfect storm’ of bitterly cold temperatures, high rates of flu and a spike in norovirus;
Around 5,000 schools were shut and thousands of operations cancelled.
A Met Office forecaster said: ‘The last time we saw a cold and snowy period like we’ve had this week was in 1991 … anecdotally it is the worst snowstorms we’ve had since then.’ Forecaster Craig Snell said although Thursday marks the first day of meteorological spring, ‘winter is still firmly in charge’.
He also warned that extreme weather will grip Britain for another 48 hours.
The freezing temperatures caused a surge in gas demand yesterday – about a third higher than normal for the time of year – leaving a shortfall of some 14 per cent.
Energy minister Claire Perry said households should carry on cooking and using their heating – and insisted domestic supplies would be protected.
But Stuart Fegan, GMB national officer for energy, said: ‘When the National Grid issues a worrying gas warning like this – you know things are serious. When the supply is low, energy companies will inevitably hike prices.’ Yesterday, the Met Office issued an unprecedented ‘red’ warning for the South West and Wales. The alert warns of ‘widespread damage, travel and power disruption’ and a risk to life caused by a combination of 70mph winds and freezing conditions.
Yellow and amber warnings remain for most of the country until 9am tomorrow.
Forecasters warned of another day of brutal weather today, with snow, strong winds and freezing rain in large parts of the UK.
Yesterday a 75-year-old woman was found frozen to death in Leeds, a van driver died in a crash on the icy A34 in Berkshire and a homeless man froze to death in Lincolnshire. A grandfather died after he fell into a frozen lake trying to save his dog. Stephen Cavanagh, 60, from Bexleyheath, south London, slipped on the ice and plunged into the water. He was pulled out by a passer-by but was pronounced dead in hospital.
The seven-year-old girl who died in Cornwall had not been identified last night. Neighbours living on the steep road where she died said the snow had made the road ‘incredibly dangerous’ and virtually impassable over the past 48 hours.
A baby born on the A66 in the freezing weather near Stockton-on-Tees was recovering well yesterday, medics said. Sienna Waring was delivered by her father Andrew as he tried to get her mother Daniella to hospital in terrible driving conditions.