April fools us... winter is not done with yet
AT LEAST nine people have died on Britain’s roads over a wintry Easter bank holiday weekend.
The deaths followed snow and rain warnings for swathes of the UK and occurred in Yorkshire, Surrey, Dorset, Birmingham, Co Durham, Rochdale and Essex. About 40mm of rain fell across the country and emergency services dealt with more than 206 flood alerts.
Up to 10cm (4in) of snow fell in north England, North Wales and Scotland. Images posted online showed roads and parks submerged and cars struggling on snow-covered motorways in what the AA called one of the busiest bank holidays in recent years and sporting fixtures had to be abandoned.
Two men died yesterday on the M62 in West Yorkshire when a black Vauxhall Insignia travelled in the wrong direction. The Vauxhall driver, 22, was arrested. A man in his 20s died and four others were injured when a BMW crashed into a tree near Clacket Lane services on the M25 in Surrey, while a 70-year-old jogger was run over in a freak accident on a beach in Swanage, Dorset. On the M5 near Birmingham a lorry driver, 61, died in a crash.
On Good Friday, a 36-year-old man was killed in a motorbike crash on the M62. On Easter Sunday a moped rider, aged 18, died in Billingham, Durham, and a 21-year-old died in Rochdale when his BMW collided with a VW Polo. A man in his 20s died after being hit by a car in Halstead, Essex.
Alex Burkill, a metrologist, said the weather would worsen in Scotland but would improve elsewhere as the week went on. “It will be feeling quite cold across much of England and Wales with fairly frequent showers,” he said. “On Wednesday we have more rain and it is going to be unsettled, with frequent heavy showers and thunderstorms. Most places will see persistent rain.”