Better late than never
It may not have been a white Christmas, but yesterday much of the country woke to a covering of snow, including in Broadway, Worcs, above. While the big freeze brought a festive feel, it also meant travel chaos for many.
DRIVERS are being warned that many roads will be treacherous today as rain has washed away grit following a day of travel chaos caused by heavy snow.
Swathes of Britain faced travel misery and power outages yesterday as wintry weather plunged many parts of the country into a deep freeze, and the Met Office yesterday issued fresh yellow weather warnings – for all of Wales and most of England stretching as far as the south coast – which remain in force until 11am today.
Icy patches were expected to develop overnight on untreated roads, pave- ments and cycle paths “as well as where showers continue to fall, washing off treatment”, said the Met Office, adding: “Some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces are possible.”
Another weather alert for snow has been issued for tomorrow, with a warning that more snow flurries are likely across parts of northern England and southern Scotland.
The Met Office warned: “Some roads and railways are likely to be affected, with longer journey times by road, bus and train services. Some delays to air travel are also possible.” Yesterday a lorry crash on the M1 closed all three southbound lanes and left traffic backed up in its wake. There were also a string of weather-related crashes reported across the country.
The RAC said it recorded a spike of up to 20 per cent in call-outs compared with this time last year, including 12 relating to a potholes causing significant damage to vehicles on a section of the M25 in London.
There were similar stories of disruption, cancellations and delays at the country’s travel terminals, with Stansted Airport twice temporarily closing its runway because of ice.
Last night, Western Power Distribution and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said nearly 13,000 homes remained without electricity.
Some of the worst traffic was on the southbound carriageway of the M1 near Lutterworth in Leicestershire, which was closed after an accident involving a jackknifed lorry.
Highways England also reported “severe conditions” in both directions on the A14 near Kettering, with motorists asked to avoid the area while all available resources were deployed to help move vehicles, some of which had been stuck for several hours, and clear snow from the carriageway.
Another HGV jackknifed in heavy snow on the M5 in Gloucestershire, as overnight snow affected the western parts of central England.