Events | 2010.01.13
Fresh snow brings disruption and calls for better planning
Business says talks are urgent as economy is hit, while wintry weather brings further transport chaos and school closures
Fresh snowfall brought fresh disruptions today as business leaders urged the government to hold an emergency conference to review contingency planning.
With losses to the British economy owing to winter weather running at £600m a day, the Federation of Small Businesses called for urgent talks between local authorities, transport and salt mining companies, schools and businesses.
"We need to be better prepared with more salt stocks for roads and better guidance for headteachers on when to close schools, to prevent staff from missing days off work and bringing the country, and the economy, to a standstill," said the chairman of the FSB, John Wright.
Met Office warnings of further snowfall remained for north-west and southern England as well as the West Midlands. Though temperatures are expected to rise from tomorrow, more snow next week has not been ruled out.
Lack of grit, potholes and freezing temperatures made driving hazardous as up to 15cm of snow fell over Wales and the south- west, with wintry showers also hitting the Midlands, the south-east and London early today.
Gordon Brown pledged a full review of arrangements for keeping Britain moving. He added: "We are confident that with the measures announced we are able to maintain the road network."
Salt producers are stepping up production while imports are expected to arrive in coming days. But with the government demanding further cuts in gritting of up to 50%, councils face tough decisions.
The Local Government Association said stockpiling in advance was difficult owing to costs of salt, its storage and security. The LGA added that the Met Office had originally predicted a one in seven chance of a cold winter. With this the most prolonged spell of freezing conditions since 1981, "it is inevitable that some strain will be placed on salt stocks", said the LGA.
Black ice made many roads in Yorkshire impassable. Four gritting lorries slid off the road in North Yorkshire, while in Morley, Leeds, one truck smashed into a hairdressing salon, and another ploughed into a house. One man was taken to hospital after a taxi fell down a 9m embankment and landed on a factory roof in Holmfirth. West Yorkshire ambulance reported a four-fold increase in 999 calls about weather-related incidents.
Cars were abandoned on roads in Devon and Cornwall. Hundreds of people were stuck in their vehicles for up to six hours on last night as the A38 near Exeter came to a standstill. "At one point I had a gritter in front of me and a snow plough behind, and we were all stuck," said one motorist, Chad Cole.
The M48 old Severn bridge was closed, while snow restricted lanes on the M4 and M32 near Bristol, and the London-bound M20 in Kent underwent emergency repair work owing to ice damage. Drifts of up to 2m were reported on some mountain and moorland roads in north Wales.
Twelve train operators, including Eurostar, reported disruption, while Virgin Trains\' services between London Euston and west coast mainline stations were delayed because of downed power lines. Thousands of commuters in London were stranded during the morning rush. The Association of Train Operating Companies said there had been some serious delays but staff had done "an extraordinary job" to keep the railways running during the wintry weather.
Some rural communities were snowed in, while many others were battling power cuts, water leaks and mounting piles of rubbish as refuse collections were cancelled. The LGA said safety came first. "Sending a 26-tonne dustcart down an icy residential street packed with cars and pedestrians is extremely dangerous," said Gary Porter, chairman of its environment board environment board. Uncollected refuse posed no risk to public health, he added, "when outside temperatures are colder than a domestic freezer".
Air travel suffered with runways at five airports in the south and Midlands reopening after a morning of delays and cancellations.
Most schools managed to open for exams, but many were closed to other pupils. More than half of schools in Wales remained shut. Hospitals across the country reported increases in admissions of patients with fractures caused by falls.
The Institute of Civil Engineers warned that "freeze-thaw", where water in cracks of a road expand into ice, damaging the surface, would make potholes a problem. "It could be a record year – a million scars from the worst winter in 30 years," said the president of the AA, Edmund King.
Thousands of householders experienced delays in the delivery of heating oil and propane gas. One firm in Buckinghamshire warned customers they should not expect delivery until the third week of February. With today being St Hilary\'s Day which, according to folklore is the coldest day of the year, forecasters were predicting more wintry weather with rain, sleet and snow next week.
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/13/snow-causes-transport-disruption
