DON’T DICE WITH DARCY
WARNING TO THE PUBLIC AS ‘BEAST FROM THE EAST 2’ BRINGS HAVOC ACROSS BRITAIN
PEOPLE in snow-struck Britain are being warned not to risk travelling unless it is essential after Storm Darcy unleashed a day of chaos – with more to come.
Up to 12in of snow closed roads and rail lines across the country – as well as shutting coronavirus vaccination centres and some schools.
Darcy – dubbed the Beast From The East 2 after its predecessor caused a tenday freeze in 2018 – sent temperatures plunging to -1C in eastern England.
And there were warnings that even lower temperatures today of -3C would combine with strong wind chills to feel more like -9C or -10C.
Police urged people not to travel and health bosses warned trips and falls on icy pavements could pile pressure on the NHS as it fought the pandemic.
Roads in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Lincolnshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire and Hertfordshire were closed by impassable conditions or accidents. A six-vehicle pile-up on the A229 at Blue Bell Hill near Maidstone, Kent, left at least one person hurt. Nearby, a van caught fire after the driver turned the heater on to clear snow from the windscreen.
In Suffolk, a kitesurfer in his fifties died after getting into trouble in the North Sea off Walberswick beach, despite coastguards’ rescue efforts.
The Environment Agency issued dozens of flood warnings across Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Yorkshire. And the weather caused numerous power cuts in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Greater Anglia suspended train services between Ipswich and Felixstowe due to 3ft snow drifts. Southern Rail in
south-east London and Southeastern Rail in neighbouring Kent and Essex cancelled trains and warned of more disruption today.
Southeastern Rail said: ‘We strongly advise you do not attempt to travel on our network today as disruption is expected on all routes.’
Southern said: ‘We plan to run services on all routes today. However, if the severity of the weather worsens it may be necessary to close some routes.’
Greater Anglia warned many services – including those into Liverpool Street – were likely to be cancelled or delayed.
On the roads, the AA predicted driving conditions would be treacherous. Spokesman Ben Sheridan added: ‘Roads will be lethal where snow and ice has hit the UK.’
And Public Health England warned of ‘a serious impact on health’ as it issued a cold weather alert for the country. With many doorstep shopping deliveries cancelled, people venturing out to shops were told to take extra care.
As well as risking falls, PHE’s Dr Owen Landeg said: ‘For older people and those with heart and lung problems, it can increase the risks of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.’
Several Covid-19 vaccination centres closed, including Clacton Hospital, Colchester United’s stadium, Gainsborough Sports Centre in Ipswich and Chevington Close in Bury St Edmunds.
And a number of schools – open for vulnerable pupils and children of key workers – were shut in the south-east of England and Lincolnshire.
The Met Office said heavy snow showers and high winds were likely today and tomorrow.
It issued amber snow warnings for London and south-east England, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Sheffield and yellow warnings for northern England and Northern Ireland.
Chief meteorologist Steve Ramsdale, said: ‘With cold air across all of the UK any precipitation will fall as snow.
‘Many places will see further snow accumulations with a few centimetres likely quite widely. Some areas will see 20cm (8in) or more.
‘With strong winds as well, the wind chill will make it feel much colder.’