Ice Age Britain
More chaos as 20in of snow on the way
THE second-ever red alert warning of danger to life has been issued as the Beast from the East howls on.
The dire prediction came as a walker fell through a lake’s ice trying to save his dog – the fifth person to die in the big freeze.
Parts of Dartmoor and Exmoor may see 20in of snow today and tomorrow, sparking fears of power cuts and communities being cut off.
As well as yesterday’s red alert for Scotland, the Met Office has also issued seven yellow “be aware” warnings and two amber “be prepared” alerts covering huge swathes of the country.
Some areas are expected to have up to 8in of snow, on top of flurries from earlier this week.
Forecasters predict up to 2in could fall in a single hour and nasty twists over the weekend with lethal freezing rain, which freezes on contact with surfaces, and thundersnow expected.
This will all pile on misery for hospitals, schools and roads which were crippled by yesterday’s wild weather.
Four people have been killed on the roads and yesterday a man, believed in his 60s, died in hospital after trying to save his pet from Danson Park lake in Welling, South East London.
Heavy snow brought chaos for travellers, with trains and planes cancelled or delayed and many roads closed. Among the worst hit were areas of Scotland, Kent, East Anglia and the North East.
In Yorkshire, the A61 was shut. In Co Durham, part of the A66 was closed.
A jackknifed lorry shut the A1 between Scotch Corner and Catterick in North Yorkshire. Roads also had to close in parts of Cambridgeshire. And the M80 near Glasgow was plunged into chaos as drivers struggled to keep control.
More than 1,300 schools were shut across England, including 529 in Kent and 244 in North Yorkshire. But tiny Wearhead School in Co Durham, which is at 1,100ft, stayed open thanks to teachers battling the elements and a parent with a digger.
Non-urgent operations and hospital outpatient appointments were cancelled across the country. North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust urged staff to go to their nearest hospital to prevent them attempting longer journeys.
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, in the North East, and Harrogate Hospital appealed to staff within walking distance to come in. Nursing staff in the storm-hit North East were sleeping in hospitals last night to make sure they were back at work today.
The City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust made beds available on an old ward and also offered to collect staff in 4x4 vehicles.
Carol Harries, deputy chief executive, said: “A massive thank you to staff who, despite the freezing conditions, have gone above and beyond to ensure that there is minimal disruption to patient care.”
The prolonged cold snap is
likely to put the NHS under renewed pressure, with a rise in hospital attendance and admissions expected.
The National Emergency Pressures Panel warned the NHS should prepare for continued pressure. Chairman Sir Bruce Keogh said: “The panel wants to thank all NHS colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication in the face of a ‘perfect storm’ of appalling weather, and norovirus.” He added: “With the severe conditions expected to continue we ask patients and their families to bear with us as we seek to minimise any disruption.” However drivers blasted councils for lack of grit on ice-rink pavements and roads in London and the North East, where people complained of “death trap” routes.
One Twitter user wrote to Haringey Council: “[Our road is] a death trap and we have loads of old people who live on our road who are stuck inside.”
But Martin Tett, the Local Government Authority’s transport spokesman, said: “Gritters will be out treating thousands of miles of council roads as the big chill bites.”
There has only been one other red snow warning in the UK, for south Wales in 2013.
Forecasters say this week could be Britain’s coldest spell since 1991. A low of -11C was recorded in Farnborough, Hants, on Tuesday night but for most places the mercury hovered at between -4C and -7C.
Oli Claydon, from the Met Office, said: “By Thursday lunchtime we are going to see Storm Emma arrive from the South. That’s going to bring significant snowfall in the South. There is an amber warning in place for that.
“One of the areas of major concern is freezing rain in the South West. We are monitoring that situation as it could bring very dangerous condiflu tions. Storm Emma will bring more persistent snow as it moves to the North into Friday.”
The biggest accumulation of snow in England yesterday was in Norfolk, where 6in fell at Tibenham Airfield.
Police have named John Paul Capstick, 57, of Wisbech, Cambs, as the man who died in the A47 crash near Peterborough on Tuesday.
Five vehicles were involved in the collision and another person had minor injuries.
One poorly-equipped lone walker from Surrey, thought to be in his late 20s, wearing track suit bottoms is lucky to be alive after he fell into a gully on Mount Snowdon, one of Britain’s highest mountains. He attracted rescuers with a torch. Elsewhere, the beach front at St Ives, Cornwall, was deserted apart from one hardy dog walker. People in Leeds quickly became caked in snow as they walked to work yesterday and the snow ploughs were out in force in Tyneside. The RAC faced its busiest day in 10 years on Tuesday, with around 9,500 breakdowns reported. A Tory council voted to slash its gritting service last night. Cashstarved Northamptonshire county council said it was forced to make the cuts for next winter – along with shutting libraries, ending bus subsidies and freezing staff pay.
By lunchtime we’ll see Storm Emma arrive from the South and bring significant snowfall OLI CLAYDON MET OFFICE EXPERT ON THE NEXT WEATHER THREAT
THE Beast from the East is living up to its fearsome billing.
But every winter crisis is an opportunity for some. Children playing at home because their schools are shut must be hoping this big freeze continues until the summer holidays.