Shoppers panic buying, trains axed and nannying advice to stay warm in...
AS the first snow flurries fluttered down yesterday, nannying health authorities had one piece of expert advice for the nation – ‘keep warm’.
In guidance branded unnecessary and patronising, Public Health England suggested people ‘eat warm food’ and ‘move about at home’.
But the agency needn’t have worried that Britons were under-prepared for the approaching Siberian weather front. Yesterday, there was the usual national meltdown that comes with forecasts of snow.
Rail firms cancelled hundreds of trains, there were reports of panic-buying at supermarkets, and dozens of flights were grounded at Heathrow – before the Beast from the East had even arrived.
Forecasters said another weather system, Storm Emma, will bring high winds and blizzards across the country over the next three days with up to 16in of snow in the worst-hit areas. The wind chill will make it feel like -15C (5F) in places.
Frank Saunders of the Met Office said: ‘Parts of England and Wales are likely to see their coldest spell of weather since at least 2013, and possibly since 1991.’
But yesterday, when most areas had seen only a light dusting of snow, chaos had already set in.
British Airways cancelled more than 60 flights from Heathrow. An airport spokesman confirmed there was ‘no significant snow’ expected yesterday or today.
Council officials in Kent were accused of creating ‘ hype and panic’ after they declared a ‘snow emergency’ across the county. And the Ministry of Defence said three battalions were on standby for weather-related emergencies.
Hundreds of thousands of train passengers in the South East were told to complete their journeys by 6pm last night. Rail firm Southeastern chose the cut-off time based on predicted forecasts – rather than the actual arrival of heavy snow.
Passengers on Greater Anglia were hardest hit, with 400 trains axed yesterday. The firm said buses would not be provided.
C2C, which runs services between London and Essex, stopped trains at 9pm last night and said 214 services would be cancelled today. It also failed to offer buses.
One passenger joked on Twitter that Greater Anglia was axing services ‘in the hope there will be some snow’. Another told Southeastern: ‘Bet you can’t wait to start cancelling trains.’
Greater Northern announced a ‘ heavily reduced’ timetable for today.
Fearing they might be snowed in, customers cleared shelves of bread and other essentials at a Tesco in Gillingham, Kent. Healthcare worker Charlotte Day said: ‘ Shoppers were walking around with a panicked look on their faces. Some people had six or seven loaves … shelves were empty.’
PHE urged people to ‘help others’ and ‘remember that staying warm helps keep you healthy’. Critics likened the advice to saying ‘don’t wear flip flops in the snow’.
The government watchdog, funded to the tune of £3.4billion, said the comments help people ‘think about what activities are appropriate’.
The warning states: ‘With many places facing severe weather it’s really important people do what they need to, to stay warm … Heating homes to at least 18C will help keep you healthy.
‘Also, make sure you eat warm food, move about at home and wear several thin layers instead of fewer thicker ones … If you know anyone over 65, or with young children or with heart or lung conditions check to see if they’re OK.’
Chris Snowdon, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: ‘Public Health England’s winter advice to turn on the heating and eat hot dinners is of a piece with its summer advice to open a window and drink water.
‘It is a miracle this hectoring quango has made it through the austerity era unscathed … it badly needs cutting down to size.’
Chloe Westley, of the Tax-Payers’ Alliance, said: ‘Thank goodness for bureaucrats at Public Health England, otherwise we’d all be eating ice cream and walking around in flip flops in the snow.’
She added that money spent on such information campaigns could be better use on frontline healthcare.
PHE’s Dr Thomas Waite admitted the advice was largely ‘common sense’, but added: ‘It’s always worth making the point as there are many people … who will feel the effects of cold weather very much more acutely than others.’
The Met Office has issued amber warnings, meaning a potential risk to life and property, for the South East and North East today.