Storm Deidre brings woe for motorists

FREEZING rain and plunging temperatures caused treacherous traffic conditions as Storm Deirdre hit the British Isles on what should have been a major pre-Christmas shopping day.

Forecasters had warned that freezing rain can pose risks to drivers and pedestrians as slippery black ice surfaces can form very quickly.

The Met Office confirmed that the rare weather phenomenon had been reported at Leeds Bradford Airport yesterday, with worsening conditions expected.

Saturday footfall across UK high streets was down by 9.1% by 3pm, with bad weather among the factors blamed for the disappointing turnout on what is usually expected to be one of the busiest shopping weekends before Christmas, retail intelligence firm Springboard reported.

Freezing rain also fell in parts of southern Scotland and the North East, the Met Office said.

Collisions and road closures were reported by police forces across England after heavy snow, ice, strong winds and rain were forecast across yesterday and today.

Three amber and four yellow weather warnings were issued covering almost the entirety of the country.

Only London and the South East were not facing an alert, but were still due to receive some heavy rain.

A major tourist destination in Cornwall was forced to close after being flooded.

The Eden Project told visitors it would be shut until 5pm yesterday “due to flood water on the site”.

Collisions closed some of the main routes across The Pennines as driving conditions worsened.

The A628 Woodhead Pass – the main route from South Yorkshire to Greater Manchester – was shut following a serious accident.

The A57 Snake Pass, a few miles further south, remained open but there were reports of difficult driving conditions with black ice causing problems at various points on the route.

Further north, the A66 was also closed, between County Durham and Cumbria.