True grit needed to endure -10C big freeze
Up to four inches of snow expected, says Met Office, as police urge drivers not to travel and airports close
ALL flights were suspended at Stansted Airport last night after heavy snow blanketed the runway, as the nation braced itself for temperatures as low as -10C.
Heathrow and Gatwick were also forced to scrap or delay flights and this morning a Met Office yellow weather warning for snow, ice and fog remained in place for swathes of the country.
Dozens of schools will close today in Cornwall and Gloucestershire as impassable roads will make it difficult for teachers and pupils to make it in.
Police forces yesterday urged people not to travel as some abandoned cars and two motorways were shut, with crashes on five others and more than 300 incidents on the country’s roads.
More than 50 flights were called off at Heathrow as freezing fog forced air traffic control to impose restrictions, while more than 30 flights at Gatwick were delayed or diverted.
Last night, snow deluged London and the south-east of England, with forecasters predicting up to 15cm in parts of Essex.
The AA said it had seen a sharp increase in breakdowns and expected demand to continue while the RAC said it was making 8,500 callouts, a 65 per cent increase on a typical Sunday.
Gloucestershire Police said they were struggling to deal with “an unprecedented amount” of weather-related issues and urged people to avoid travelling if possible.
Warwickshire Police advised drivers to avoid travelling, particularly in the Stratford area. Trains were also disrupted with the Gatwick Express, Thameslink, Southern and South Western Railway all facing delays, cancellations or modified journeys.
Travel disruption is expected during today’s morning rush-hour, with six yellow warnings of ice, fog and snow.
In many areas residents reported that grit bins had not been filled, with some struggling to source grit as nearly half of councils chose not to supply community groups such as residents associations and churches with supplies.
In Wales, the ambulance service declared an incident after it was “unable to stem demand” after a surge in calls throughout Saturday and into Sunday. The Welsh Ambulance Service said it received more than 2,000 emergency 999 calls on Saturday and it responded to more than 200 lifethreatening red calls. NHS 111 Wales received over 10,000 calls, its busiest day ever.
The Met Office issued the alerts as temperatures are set to stay well below freezing overnight and combine with wintry showers to create icy conditions.
The yellow warnings are in place from last night until this morning for northern and south-western Scotland, Northern Ireland, north-eastern England, the Midlands and South West as well as London and the South East.
Remote rural communities could become temporarily cut off, the Met Office warned. The forecaster also said that in some areas yesterday temperatures remained below zero for the whole day, while in Marham in Norfolk the mercury fell to -8.6C.
Rachel Ayers, from the Met Office, said: “We could see 2cm to 5cm (of snow), perhaps up to 10cm in some places, with Kent and Sussex most affected, with areas most exposed such as North and South Downs and higher ground going to see the more significant accumulations.
Tom Morgan, another meteorologist at the forecaster, said temperatures were not close to breaking records but added: “It’s possible all four nations will see temperatures of -10C or lower in the coming days.”
‘We could see 2cm to 5cm of snow, perhaps up to 10cm in some places, with Kent and Sussex most affected’