So much for Spring!
Snow grips Britain again ...but at least thaw’s coming
JUST days before, daffodils and crocuses were in bloom and spring seemed well on its way.
But a mini-Beast from the East yesterday saw Britain once more blanketed in up to a foot of snow.
For thousands with sledges, it meant a chance to enjoy what most will have hoped was a last taste of winter.
But it meant more misery for motorists, while sporting events were cancelled and tourist attractions closed.
More than a foot fell in parts of Scotland, while deep drifts accumulated on upland areas such as the Pennines with parts of rural Devon and Cornwall facing being cut off.
Thankfully, the cold snap will be briefer than the one brought in by the Beast from the East at the end of last month. Julian Mayes, of Meteogroup, said that ‘apart from the odd snow shower on Monday we will start to see a return to milder, unsettled conditions, with a thaw accelerating on Wednesday’.
Polar conditions did little to deter scantily-clad revellers celebrating St Patrick’s Day in Leeds. Shivering girls queuing for clubs on Saturday night still displayed acres of flesh. Temperatures struggled to keep barely above freezing in most areas. In a miserable day for travellers, thousands of passengers at Heathrow faced chaos after 146
‘Suffering from hypothermia’
flights were cancelled, while Bristol Airport was temporarily shut.
Some railway lines were closed with Great Western Railway, South Western Railway and Great Northern Rail among those reporting delays and cancellations.
In Lincolnshire, police said up to 35 vehicles were stuck overnight on the A158 near Edlington.
Cancelled sporting events included the Anglo-Welsh rugby cup final between Exeter Chiefs and Bath at Gloucester and Derby County’s Championship clash with Cardiff at Pride Park. Meanwhile in Berkshire, the Reading half-marathon was cancelled.
Devon’s Paignton zoo was shut while dozens of school closures were announced for the county. More than 100 runners tackling the Hardmoors 55-mile race from Helmsley to Guisborough had to be rescued on Saturday evening, with around 30 suffering hypothermia. In Cumbria, mountain rescue teams were called to help 15 people stuck in a cafe near Kirkby Stephen. Meanwhile nine teenage girls rowing down the River Stour near Bournemouth were rescued when they capsized on Saturday morning. And in Snowdonia a coastguard helicopter airlifted a man in his 60s who had fallen ill 2,000ft up.
Seaside homes were evacuated yesterday when high winds and waves caused a cliff to give way in Hemsby, Norfolk. Homeowner Stephen Chadwick told the BBC: ‘It was like an earthquake, and the cliff just went.’ Maurice Broom added: ‘I had nine metres of garden five hours ago. Now it’s gone.’