Freeze sparks travel chaos

Published on Tuesday 6 January 2009 10:59

Britain's big freeze caused chaos today as thousands of motorists were left stranded in the busiest day of breakdowns in five years.

As parts of the UK plunged to as low as minus 11C (12.2F), record numbers called for emergency help during the rush hour with many schools failing to reopen after the Christmas break.

The AA and RAC said the situation was worse than it had been since 2004, with more than 40,000 call-outs over the past 36 hours.

Thermometers fell to minus 11C in Aboyne in north-east Scotland and Shap in Cumbria in the early hours of this morning.

MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said temperatures had also fallen as low as minus 10C (14F) in Farnborough, Hampshire, and in Capel Curig, North Wales, overnight.

The greatest surge of breakdowns were recorded in the Bristol, Bournemouth, London and Birmingham areas.

A spokesman for the AA said: "Today's even busier than yesterday. We were getting 2,800 call-outs for assistance every hour.

"People must be prepared. We cannot highlight enough how important it is for travellers to take extra layers with them.

"Many more schools reopened today and it has had a significant impact as parents try to get their cars started."

An RAC spokeswoman added: "It's been our busiest day in five years."

Among the victims of perilous driving conditions was a woman cyclist who sustained serious injuries when she was run over by a Land Rover which skidded on ice in Clevedon, Somerset.

In Dorset, a man escaped injury after his BMW 325 convertible spun off the road and hit a telegraph pole near Bournemouth International Airport after 6am.

In Devon and Cornwall, police warned drivers to delay journeys after seven crashes this morning including two multi-car collisions.

A spokesman for MeteoGroup said many parts of England remained below freezing until noon.

"The situation could remain largely the same until Sunday," he added. "We have not seen such a cold start to the year in some time."

The Met Office issued a severe weather warning for London and east and south-east England as gritters were deployed across the country.

Councillor David Sparks, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, a cross-party organisation which represents councils in England, said: "Councils up and down the country are out in force this week fighting the wintry weather.

"The stockpiling of grit and investment in new technology mean local authorities are better able than ever to tackle icy road conditions before they become potentially dangerous for drivers."

The icy conditions played a part in a fatal accident in Lincolnshire yesterday when a woman was killed after her car got stuck on a level crossing and was hit by a train.

The 30-year-old was driving over the crossing in South Drove, near Spalding, when her car clipped a Ford Transit van heading in the opposite direction.

The cold snap also caused havoc for homes and businesses which suffered frozen pipes.

Water company Severn Trent was prompted to appeal to its eight million customers across the Midlands and Wales to protect their water systems, after reports pipes were freezing even with heating on full blast.

Staff at Bourton-on-the-Water Primary School, in Gloucestershire, was also counting the cost of the freezing weather when water from burst pipes flooded a classroom and caused the staff room ceiling to collapse.

In Carmarthen County, West Wales, the local council closed Tregib Secondary School, Ysgol Gyfun Bro Myrddin and Queen Elizabeth High School due to "inclement weather".

Cross Hands Community Primary School was also closed due to a burst water pipe.

Pensioners were advised to take extra precautions to make sure they stay warm during the cold weather.

The freeze also sparked calls from Macmillan Cancer Support to call on the Government to extend winter fuel payments to cancer patients.

Police in Cumbria also warned that children were risking their lives by playing on the ice covering one of England's largest lakes.

Youngsters were seen on Saturday trying to smash holes with boulders as they played on the ice 50ft from the shore on Derwentwater in the Lake District.

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