LIFE IN SNOW LANE
Glorious winter scenes (but watch out for crashes)
DEEP, crisp and even, it was a sight that captured the glories of winter – as long as you didn’t have to drive in it.
Up to 6in of snow fell in the North yesterday, leading to picture postcard scenes like the one above but also the inevitable crashes, skids and prangs.
A double decker bus slid across a road in Halifax, West Yorkshire, while a car ended up wrapped around a pole in nearby Outlane.
More than 600 schools had to close and the weather brought havoc to the Covid vaccination drive, with some centres forced to shut or postpone appointments.
But for some it was a chance for a little fun in the snow, with youngsters leaping on toboggans in Penicuik, Scotland. Flurries fell as far south as Suffolk and were due to spread to the Home Counties last night.
South eastern areas too mild for snow were not spared, as heavy rain led to flooding – with 28 warnings and 135 alerts. Rivers including the Great Ouse in Cambridgeshire burst their banks.
Severe weather closed more than 600 schools which had stayed open for key workers’ children, mostly in West and South Yorkshire.
The trial of a man accused of murdering student Libby Squire, 21, was halted after three jurors could not reach Sheffield Crown Court in the snow.
Staff at the Fenn Bell Inn in Hoo, Kent, battled to salvage furniture after it was flooded. Connor Gordon, one of those trying to save the pub’s possessions, said: ‘The building is ruined, nearly a foot of water inside, it’s even deeper outside. The ditches are full and bursting, the roads are flooded and getting worse.’
Hospital bosses urged the elderly to rearrange appointments at Newcastle’s mass vaccination hub. And all vaccinations at the Priory Campus in Barnsley had to be postponed from 3pm, with patients advised not to travel. A Met Office spokesman said: ‘The highest accumulations of snow were in North East England, where 15cm (6in) was recorded at Copley, County Durham.’ He said snow was recorded as far south as Lakenheath and Marham, in Suffolk.
Today is set to bring a brief respite of mostly dry and cloudy – but very chilly – weather. Temperatures are unlikely to rise above freezing in some northern areas. Further heavy rain, sleet and snow are forecast for tomorrow.
Sunday should be mostly dry with isolated showers, but more snow could be on the way next week followed by a cold and unsettled remainder of the month.
Those fearing a return of the Beast from the East – the Siberian weather system that brought heavy snow in 2018 – can rest easy. The Met Office said it is unlikely to roar back in the coming weeks.