More snow and freezing weather has delayed trains and closed schools, roads and airports. The government has ordered an urgent audit of the country’s snow-readiness in the face of the severe disruption. Follow the latest here
1.05pm: Here is a twitpic of the ice rink at Canary Wharf from Paul Hood . It’s closed.
12.59pm: I like this nugget from PA
Two thieves who stole a quantity of lead have been arrested after police followed footprints in the snow leading away from a crime scene. West Mercia Constabulary said officers in Market Drayton, Shropshire, detained the men after tracing them to an address in the Fairfields area of the town. Police were called out in the early hours of Tuesday after a home-owner in Stafford Street disturbed thieves attempting to pull lead from the front of his property. A police spokesman said two men aged 21 and 20 were arrested within 30 minutes and had both been cautioned for theft and attempted theft. A wheelie bin containing stolen lead was also recovered
12.52pm: Downing Street has put out a rather lovely picture gallery . Was it was taken by that photographer David Cameron tried to put on the public payroll I wonder?
12.50pm: Martin Wainwright with the latest on his train epic (petrel a is bird which flies ahead of storms at sea, my erudite friend tells me when I ask did he mean patrol). Martin’s description of Birmingham makes me wonder whether he has become snow intoxicated.
The 9.11 from Leeds has been a storm petrel, bringing the snow south. The dividing line between the deep stuff and a lighter covering was just south of lovely, beer-smelling Burton on Trent at 11.30. Then we rattled through with a small blizzard on our tail so I guess it’s moving Brum’s way. Tamworth, once home of the famed Reliant Robin, had the first clear(ish) skies seen since Leeds and the odd sight – these days – of platforms without any snow at all. Interesting looking at roofs of houses to see who has loft insulation (the picturesque ones, still with a covering of snow). Birmingham, the Venice of Northern Europe, looked only dusted though there was ice on them thar canals. Can now understand threadistas asking what the fuss is about. If they live in Brum there’s no call to fuss. Yet.
Lunchtime summary: – More than four out of 10 train services cancelled, reduced timetables – Heathrow, Stansted, Glasgow and Aberdeen open and working well, but Edinburgh and Southampton airports closed. No flights at Gatwick until 6am tomorrow at the earliest – Eurostar operates ‘significantly reduced timetable’ – Transport secretary Philip Hammond, who was told to ‘get a grip’ by Labour MPs, orders review of how transport operators had responded this week – Around 7,000 schools across the UK shut today compared with about 3,000 yesterday
12.22pm: The number of schools forced to close because of the weather has more than doubled overnight. Around 7,000 schools across the UK were shut today compared with about 3,000 yesterday, the department of education said. The DfE said it hoped headteachers would use “common sense” when deciding whether it is safe to open.
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12.10pm:
Dan Milmo, our transport correspondent, has a roundup of the situation with rail and air.
Scores of rail services have been cancelled as train operators installed emergency timetables, but even those journeys are being suspended up and down the UK today. The Association of Train Operating Companies said that so far today more than four out of ten services have been cancelled – and that’s on reduced timetables. An ATOC spokesman said the so-called third rail, which runs next to tracks and supplies electricity to trains, has been a major cause of the problems in London and the south east. Southern and Southeastern, two of the biggest London commuter franchises, have been badly affected.
“The particular issue in London and the south east is this third conductor rail. Snow and ice can get onto to the rail and prevent it from connecting with the train. The sheer volume of snow has also been a huge problem,” said a spokesman. Acknowledging criticism of the lack of information for passengers, the ATOC spokesman said train operators were working with Passenger Focus, the rail user watchdog, and the rail regulator to improve communication. “We recognise that it is an area where we have to get better.”
As for airports, Malcolm Robertson, director of communications at BAA: “Across the company, we are better prepared than we have ever been for a difficult winter. Heathrow, Stansted, Glasgow and Aberdeen are all open and working well, but Edinburgh and Southampton are closed because it is simply not safe to allow planes to land and take-off if there is any risk of snow or ice reducing the grip on runways. Edinburgh has had around five times the snow that has fallen elsewhere in Scotland and if snow continues to fall as it is being cleared from a runway, the snow ploughs just have to turn round and start again to ensure that the surface is completely clear of any hazard. We understand and share the frustrations of passengers and are working hard – night and day – to keep our airports open and safe.”
12.05pm: Time for a picture, here is one of Chesterfield that Martin Wainwright took out of the train window.
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11.58am: Hammond says the government is monitoring the situation on an hourly basis and if necessary, there will be a Cobra emergency meeting. A Labour MP again demands that Hammond “get a grip” on the situation. Earlier Hammond said the problems earlier this year were that local authorities had “inadequate supplies of salt and grit”. There were now “more than adequate” supplies and “new equipment” out on the strategic road network. He says the problem this time with highways is that of abandoned lorries and cars blocking traffic. By contrast, the tube has been generally working well. Again MPs express frustration with rail companies not keeping passengers informed. And that’s it for Hammond in a sparse chamber.
11.49am: Maria Eagle, the shadow transport secretary, is accusing Hammond of complacency. “No complacency whatsoever,” Hammond responds. The question is whether we should have done anything differently, he says, and he will report back once he gets the audit. He acknowledges how rail companies are not doing enough to keep passengers informed. The audit is being led by David Quarmby, who conducted a previous review, and focus on whether the findings from the first analysis have been properly implemented and what new lessons can be learnt.
11.39am: Philip Hammond, the transport secretary, is giving a roundup of the effects of the severe winter weather in the Commons.
He tells people what people already know. Blocked highways, cancelled trains etc. “We are not not alone, Switzerland is similarly affected,” he says to some jeers. He tells MPs that an audit is being conducted to see what could or should be done that hasn’t been done. The report is due before Christmas and he’ll report back to parliament. In answer to questions, Hammond says the government’s Cobra emergency committee is not meeting to discuss the situation. He is getting some flak from Labour MPs for not taking the disruptions seriously enough.
11.26am: The RMT rail union is demaning that the government suspend the planned rail fare increases due next month in “recognition of the failure of the private train operators to deliver services during the cold snap”.
Here is RMT general secretary Bob Crow having a go at the train companies.
The fare increases should be suspended now and the government’s audit should examine the case for booting these spivs off the railways and returning to a fully integrated and planned public system free from the greed of the private train companies whose sole motivation is lining their own pockets.
11.07am: The intrepid Martin Wainwright is making slow progress on the train but is revelling in the views.
Crawled into Sheffield 40 mins late cos of large snow cloud stuck over south Yorks. Never seen the city looking so pretty. Not a place to be working just now though. Gentleman in seat opposite mine got train up from Brum (very little snow there, he says) but couldn’t get anywhere near his job in Worksop from Sheffield. No trains and the road is blocked by stranded trucks. So he’s going back to Brum and then planning to see if Worksop’s somehow reachable from the other side. Now in long tunnel to Chesterfield; first place for a week where I’ve not seen any snow. Twisted spire looks good in Chesterfield with snow wriggling up one side only. Bigger treat on right after more tunnels; snow-bedecked Wingfield Manor ruins, one of English Heritage’s hardest to visit properties. It’s only open on six Saturdays each year. Hard to see from roads but great view from train. There’s a public footpath runs very nearby though and in present conditions I’d say that is one of the loveliest places anyone can be.
11.01am: A bit more about the economic impact of the big chill. JJB Sports has become the first high street chain to warn that it is suffering from the snowy weather that hit the UK this week, Alex Hawkes reports for the Guardian .
The troubled retailer told the City this morning that it expects to breach the terms of its loans next month. It added that it is now engaged in refinancing talks with its banks.
10.50am: PA reports that plenty of staff could not get to work today. It cites a survey of almost 1,000 employers, which found 38% of workers could not get to their office this morning and a further 43% were late arriving. “Snowfall was the major issue yesterday, but the big problem for businesses today is the icy conditions left behind,” said Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula, the firm that did the survey. Public transport such as buses and trains have been hit with major cancellations making it almost impossible for some workers to get into work this morning.”
10.40am: The Press Association has a story with this wonderful headline: POLICE: DON’T PHONE US ABOUT SNOWBALLS
A police force which has been inundated with phone calls about snowballs has asked people to only ring if strictly necessary. Switchboard operators at Nottinghamshire Police have received hundreds of calls about people throwing snowballs since the wintery weather hit the region. A spokesman for the force said between 9am on Tuesday and 7.45am today around 120 calls had been sent through to the control room from switchboard operators. He said those calls were thought have been of a serious enough nature to make control room officers aware and many more will have come through to the switchboard which it was not necessary for police to be involved in. He said: “We are advising people to only ring us if there is an incident with snowball throwing that it seems only police can deal with. These include incidents that are examples of serious antisocial behaviour, or involve vulnerable people, or pose real and serious dangers to traffic. We are receiving a great number of weather-related calls and are asking people to consider if the situation regarding snowball throwing is really a matter for police before they ring.”
10.33am: Howard Archer, an analyst often quoted by business journalists, assesses the economic impact of the big freeze. He focuses on the timing of this disruption.
While the disruption caused by the bad weather is not as bad – so far at least – as back in January, the timing is particularly bad and worrying for retailers in particular. The crucial Christmas shopping period is now getting into full swing and an extended period of people not being able to get to the shops could be highly damaging for them… Usually most of the retail sales lost due to bad weather is be made up. Consumers tend to delay purchases rather than cancel them altogether. However, there is the possibility that some people may end up buying less Christmas presents due to time constraints and these sales are not subsequently made up.
He also says the timing is also particularly bad news for restaurants, bars and hotels as many companies are now starting to hold their Christmas functions and these may end up having to be cancelled or will be poorly attended.
10.20am: Martin Wainwright sends this lyrical account of his feeling for snow.
After two days monitoring the white hell I’m now out in it on a trip from Leeds to Leamington Spa and back. The 33 Firstbus shot me into town after a half-mile plod through our local version of Narnia. Road traffic amost non-existent Looks like about half of Leeds is snatching a day off in – so far – perfect sledging/walking weather. All set for 8.11 Cross Country train to Brum but loudspeakers at train station boomed/doomed ‘Due to adverse weather conditions…’, a phrase I have got to know too well during last hour eating sausage roll and addressing Christmas cards. Now joyfully on delayed 9.11 spying at fabulous snowscapes near Wakefield through snow-streaked windows. The landscape which inspired Barbara Hepworth. I can see the new Hepworth gallery rising beside the ice floes on the River Calder. Opens in May. Thus inspired, on to Brum and a tense train change. A good day to travel btw. Normally packed train is half empty. I even have a table for my envelopes.
10.12am: Other duties beckon for Adam Gabatt so this is Mark Tran stepping in for the rest of the day. So how was getting in to work this morning? The tube was even more sardine-packed this morning. Normally I have to allow two or three trains go by before I can get on at Borough station, but this morning I had to wait for 20 minutes and let about seven trains go by before I could squeeze on. Of course that’s just a minor inconvenience compared to those who had to sleep on stuck overground trains. Send in your accounts about your own horror stories.
9.50am:
And the Observer’s business editor, Andrew Clark, sends this from Ireland:
I’ve been in Dublin for a couple of days reporting on Ireland’s economic bailout. Am unexpectedly injecting cash into the country’s economy for an extra day. Stuck at an airport hotel because all flights were cancelled last night due to heavy snow. Thousands of people were stuck, causing tempers to boil over. There were hardly any taxis to get away and the hotels all filled up fast. Police had to be called to Aer Lingus’s customer service desk to calm people down at one point. And the McDonald’s at Dublin airport sold out of Big Macs.
9.42am:
An update from Steven Morris in the south west:
We still seem to be getting away with it down here in the south west so far. Bitterly cold: -5C over Dartmoor and Bodmin last night but main roads roads well gritted. The A30 near Hayle in west Cornwall was closed for a while yesterday because of icicles dangling threateningly from a bridge. People are staying at home, though. At 10.30pm mine was the only car at Taunton Deane services northbound. Can’t help thinking our time will come soon.
8.55am:
Snow videos aside, some commuters endured a grim-sounding night stuck aboard a train yesterday evening.
Three hundred passengers were stuck at Three Bridges station in West Sussex after a series of line failures. One train failed on the line near the station, another train got stuck behind it, with the 20.17 from London Victoria to Littlehampton joining the queue at 21.30.
Rail bosses decided to move passengers from the first two trains on to the third and try to continue their journey, but it was 1.30am before engineers tried to “shunt” it on to a fast lane.
All passengers were made to get off and stand on the freezing platform at Three Bridges for an hour, but it was to no avail, with the shunt failing. Rail operators decided not to risk sending the train on the slower line in case it broke down in a remote location, they said.
So it was that 300 passengers spent the rest of the night on the stationary train – as it had heat, a Southern spokesman said.
Workers at the station provided food and drink from all-night garages, while a bus took about 20 passengers on to Littlehampton and many left in taxis, the spokesman added, leaving about 100 passengers.
The resolute 100 finally left Three Bridges station at 5.15am on another train and arrived at their destination at 6.30am, a mere 10 hours after setting off.
“We had horrendous weather last night. [There were a] combination of issues including points issues,” a spokesman said.
We had a number of trains that didn’t manage to get to their stations last night but were sent back to either Victoria, Gatwick or Brighton. There were staff on board the 20.17 and staff at Three Bridges. We couldn’t send it on again and risk it failing at a more remote location. It was kept in at Three Bridges where we knew it was warm and staff provided refreshments. We are incredibly sorry for these passengers and we clearly wanted to get them home and our people did everything they could to get them home. We thank the passengers for bearing with us. The weather was just appalling last night.
The spokesman added that passengers who took taxis to get home would be able to claim the money back.
Passenger Rebecca Forsey told the BBC: “It was an absolute nightmare. We had to wait around for several hours in the cold on a freezing platform. We finally got something to eat at 4am, so that’s good.”
8.45am:
Some eleven inches of snow has fallen in Lincolnshire, as this experiment with a WHSmiths Shatter Resistant ruler shows:
Can you better this? Tweet me a link to your own snow measurement videos @adamgabbatt . I’d also quite like to see footage of animals in the snow, as well as any sledging action you may come across. I’m highbrow.
8.30am:
Britain continues to be beset by snow. Gatwick Airport will remain closed all day today due to the severe weather conditions, with officials warning it will not reopen until at least 6am tomorrow.
Edinburgh Airport is also closed, but staff were hopeful the runway would reopen at 12 noon today .
Train travellers will face major disruption. Dozens of passengers were forced to spend last night on a stranded train between London and Brighton, although train operator Southern, which cancelled all services this morning, was unable to give any further details.
On the roads, Hampshire police issued a warning to motorists as heavy snow fell overnight. HGV drivers were warned avoid the A3 and treacherous conditions were reported on the A3M. The M3 was closed northbound at junction 9 because of a jack-knifed lorry and the M27 was reduced to one lane between junctions 5 and 7.
In Kent, police asked drivers to avoid the M20 after closing the slip roads at junctions 8, 9 and 10 of the coastbound carriageway due to blizzard conditions and freezing temperatures. Forces in Essex and Sussex also advised people to only make essential trips as snow fell throughout the night. Surrey Police told drivers to only use roads in an emergency after declaring all roads in the county treacherous.
Widespread ice caused major problems nationwide yesterday, with the AA attending more than 11,300 incidents. The RAC also saw call volumes rise to unprecedented levels for this time of year. In Crawley, West Sussex, a motorcyclist was killed in a crash involving a lorry at 5.10am, and a woman died after falling into a freezing lake at Pontefract racecourse, West Yorkshire.
In Scotland, East Lothian council, Scottish Borders council and Midlothian council said yesterday all of their schools would be closed until Monday. Dundee city Council said all of its schools would also be shut today and Edinburgh city council said there would also be some school closures in its area. Glasgow city Council, which closed all its schools yesterday after a number of snow showers, said it intended to open all schools today.
But some schools across Scotland are continuing to teach pupils stuck at home through a national website – the schools intranet GLOW – and their own internet pages. You’d be a bit annoyed if you were looking forward to a day off school only to find that out… Weather Transport Adam Gabbatt Mark Tran guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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