HEAVY SNOW HITS AIR, RAIL AND ROAD TRAVEL ACROSS UK
HEAVY snowfall brought disruption to the roads, rails and skies of the UK yesterday. Main roads were shut and hundreds of homes left without electricity as up to 30cm of snow fell in Sennybridge in the Brecon Beacons – the heaviest snowfall across the UK.
With a yellow weather warning in place over Saturday and Sunday, people had been advised to stay at home and avoid travelling following a “substantial number” of accidents on the road.
Across the UK, flights were temporarily suspended at two UK airports – Birmingham and Luton – due to bad weather, causing widespread delays for passengers.
Londoners also unexpectedly woke up to snowfall, as forecasters had initially predicted the capital and southern England and Wales would instead be lashed by strong winds and rain.
South Wales Police said they were called to a “substantial number of accidents” on Sunday, due to snow and flooding, but none were critical or had people with injuries.
Inspector Louise Davies said: “Due to the adverse weather conditions, we are having a lot of RTCs [road traffic collisions].”
She added that the force was receiving a lot of calls about HGVs getting stuck.
Part of the A470 between Brecon and Nant Ddu and Llandovery and Halfway was forced to close yesterday due to heavy snow and fallen trees.
An overturned car was also reported near Aberystwyth, with the A44 Llanbadarn Road shut in both directions.
A further weather warning has been put in place for north Wales until 11am today due to treacherous ice as temperatures plummeted last night.
Several schools in Wrexham, Powys and Rhondda Cynon Taff will be shut today, after a decision to stay closed was taken on Sunday afternoon.
Delays were caused to bus and rail services across Wales, including cancelled services at Llandovery and Newport due to blocked lines.
Tickets for Arriva Trains Wales services for Sunday remain valid today after passengers were advised not to travel over the weekend.
After a busy night for emergency services, an “extreme weather plan” was put in place yesterday by the Welsh Ambulance Service across Rhondda Cynon Taff and the Gwent valleys.
A number of 4x4 vehicles were deployed by St John’s in the area to help with demand.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board also appealed for help due to a small number of staff affected by snow.
A precautionary message was sent out asking for colleagues to take on extra shifts at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and University Hospital Llandough in the Vale of Glamorgan.
A spokeswoman for the health board said yesterday: “We are asking for any qualified
nurses and healthcare support workers who live in the Cardiff or Bridgend area and can get to either UHW or Llandough. Also, if any staff who are snowed in and have relatives who could help, we would be very grateful.”
Dialysis patients are advised to go for treatment in the next 24 hours, when they will be prioritised.
In north Wales British Red Cross volunteers were sent to help at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board by transporting A&E, midwifery and mental health specialists between hospitals.
More than 50 transfers were made over the weekend, taking staff to hospitals including Wrexham Maelor and Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. Across mid, west and south Wales about 800 houses were reported to be without power.
Meanwhile, across south Wales, flood alerts were also issued by South Wales Police following heavy rain on Saturday night.
Fire services were called to attend a large number of reports, including flooding near homes in Cardiff.
Roads in Bridgend were left under water, while emergency services were called to rescue two women from a car stuck in water in Kwnfog Hill. At The Mumbles gale speeds of up to 73mph were recorded, with a separate warning in place for wind.
Elsewhere, pictures from across Wales show families taking full advantage of the wintry weather, including fields full of people sledging in Aberfan.
Festive events including the Aberdare Santa Run and Abergavenny Christmas Fair were forced to cancel due to health and safety concerns.
The cold weather is set to continue for the rest of the week, with frost and freezing fog predicted for Tuesday.
On Wednesday, rain and showers are expected to fall, followed by grey skies for the rest of the week.