Tragedy and disruption as big freeze takes hold of UK
Weather warnings and flood alerts in force as Emma meets the Beast Several fatalities reported across the country including girl, seven
THE BIG freeze was set to continue across Britain today with residents in Yorkshire and the Humber warned to expect bitterly cold and windy conditions.
An amber warning issued for the region by the Met Office was expected to remain in force until 10am today, meaning there is still potential risk to life.
Flood alerts had also been issued by the Environment Agency last night amid fears of flooding along the East coast between the Humber and Whitby.
Meanwhile, a rare Met Office red alert remained in place for the South West and Wales last night after Storm Emma moved in, with forecasters warning up to 50cms of snow could fall in parts.
The new weather front came as the UK reeled from the effects of the Beast from the East and just hours after a red alert for Scotland had ended.
For most it meant a day blighted by severe disruption to travel, school closures and power cuts.
But a number of weather-related fatalities were also reported, among them the death of a sevenyear-old girl in Cornwall.
The girl, believed to be a pedestrian, was fatally injured after a car hit a house on Bodrigan Road in Looe at about 2.30pm, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
A 46-year-old man died after a collision between a lorry and van on the A34 in Hampshire, while a 75-year-old woman was found dead in a snow-covered street in Leeds yesterday morning.
Martin Bowles, an operational meteorologist with the Met Office, said last night that conditions had calmed in Yorkshire.
He said there could be some further flurries to the north of York overnight, but for the rest of the region the main issue today would be the freezing temperatures and bitter wind.
“I think the worst of the snow has passed but we do expect the temperature to stay around freezing,” he said.
The coldest daytime temperature on record in Yorkshire for any day in March dates back to 1942 when the mercury in Ampleforth did not rise above -2.2C.
“The maximum temperature today has been pretty close to that,” Mr Bowles said.
“It’s probably not quite reached the record, but we’re talking about this being one of the coldest days in March ever.”
Treacherous conditions on the roads meant major disruption for motorists, with Lincolnshire police describing travel on “most roads” as impossible.
Drivers on the M62 reported being trapped in traffic for up to 10 hours as snow, a vehicle fire and other collisions led to a series of closures between Oldham and Ainley Top in West Yorkshire.
A full closure was put in place between junctions 21 and 24 due to the severe weather.
Chief Inspector Ian Williams, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “We have got 4km of traffic stuck in both directions. We are working with Greater Manchester Police, Highways England, local authorities and other emergency services to turn these vehicles around.”
Nearly all train operators experienced cancellations yesterday, including Northern which said severe weather had left several of its routes blocked.
The picture was much the same for those relying on the country’s airports as it emerged that more than 4,000 flights had been cancelled across Europe since Tuesday.
The world’s busiest two-runway airport, Heathrow, cancelled a quarter of all scheduled services yesterday and Doncaster Sheffield Airport warned passengers to expect delays.
Leeds Bradford Airport initially reported delays but shut its runway altogether as the day wore on, saying it would remain closed until at least 6am today.
By contrast, teams at the UK’s largest port complex on the Humber kept Grimsby, Immingham, Hull and Goole open. Associated British Ports said it was pivotal they do so given that energy cargo handled in Immingham alone keep one in 10 of the UK’s lights on.
Thousands of schools were forced to close nationwide, including more than 315 of North Yorkshire’s 368 schools and more than 70 in East Yorkshire. A North Yorkshire County Council spokeswoman said last night that very many of its schools were in high, exposed, isolated, and remote rural areas.
“Children and staff often have much longer and challenging journeys to school,” she said.
Sheffield saw 29 schools shut for the day, while more than half of York’s 63 schools were closed and only 16 of the 278 schools in Leeds opened for the day.