Motorists stranded by snowfall in Yorkshire
Passengers said the coach they were travelling on got
stuck on a hill in Sheffield
Dozens of coach passengers and
drivers have been left stranded in Yorkshire after snowfall swept parts of the
UK.
A group of coach passengers have taken refuge in a church after snow stopped their trip in Sheffield, where the AA said "lots" of cars had been abandoned.
The weather has also led to the closure of Leeds Bradford Airport.
An area of rain, sleet and snow has been moving east across Northern Ireland, Wales, central and northern England and southern Scotland.
In other developments:
- Cheshire Police said conditions on some roads were "treacherous", while Staffordshire Police tweeted: "Please only travel tonight if necessary"
- The Met Office said on Friday that 10cm (4in) of snow had fallen in Leek, Staffordshire
- Flights into Liverpool Airport were diverted to Manchester on Friday while snow was cleared
- Snow also created difficult conditions at football matches, including in the West Midlands where West Bromwich Albion took on Manchester City
- Weather warnings remain in place, along with a "cold weather alert" meaning the cold could put vulnerable people at risk
The passengers were due to leave Sheffield for London
on Friday afternoon Chloe McIntosh told the BBC she was one of 20-30 passengers who tried to catch a 14:15 GMT National Express coach from Sheffield to London.
She said the coach did not arrive to collect the passengers, but a replacement picked them up and set off at about 18:45.
But she said this got stuck in the snow on a steep hill before getting out of Sheffield.
"Some people from the houses nearby have come and offered us tea," she said.
"Then they opened up the church."
The passengers are now sheltering at Our Lady of Beauchief & St Thomas of Canterbury Church.
Another passenger, Chantelle Esposito, said: "The locals who have brought out blankets, tea, coffee, food and shelter have been a blessing.
"I don't know where we would be at this time without them."
National Express said it was arranging "alternative travel" for its customers, adding: "We apologise to the passengers whose journeys have been so severely disrupted."
The AA tweeted a picture of gridlock in
Sheffield At 23:30, the AA's Special Operations Response Team tweeted a picture with the message: "Prince of Wales Rd, #Sheffield around 30 mins ago! Lots of abandoned vehicles locally!"
Dr Stan Fowler told the BBC he was one of a "handful" of drivers spending the night in their cars at Woodhall Services on the M1.
"I arrived here at 20:30 and have bedded down for the night after parts of the car park became impassable," he said.
"The staff have been excellent and have brought duvets from the nearby hotel and although it wasn't how I would have chosen to spend Boxing Day night, it really hasn't been too bad at all."
A crashed lorry blocked all southbound lanes of the M1 south of Barnsley earlier, and there are still delays at several points on the motorway on the stretch between Sheffield and Barnsley.
The M1 southbound was blocked earlier by a crashed
lorry Motorist Rob Simpson said some roads in Yorkshire were "almost undriveable".
"I was on the M1 near Rotherham in South Yorkshire and it's taken me about two hours to get home to Leeds," he said.
"The journey normally takes about 40 minutes."
In Rotherham, Andrew Susich said he had been among a group of people helping drivers whose cars had got stuck on a hill.
People in Rotherham have been helping drivers stuck
on snowy roads BBC Weather presenter Nina Ridge said snow had been "really quite heavy" in some areas.
She said the rain and snow were expected to clear away in the early hours of Saturday, though temperatures were expected to fall across the UK and there could be more sleet and snow for many parts of Scotland.
The Met Office has issued yellow warnings - meaning "be aware" - for snow and ice for much of Scotland.
There is also an ice warning for Northern Ireland and a snow warning for many parts of England and eastern Wales.
Flights were briefly diverted from Liverpool Airport
to Manchester 
There was snow at West Brom's game with Man
City 
It was time for snowballs in Gateacre,
Liverpool Issuing a cold weather alert for parts of England, the Met Office said there was a 90% chance that severe weather between 15:00 GMT on Friday and 12:00 GMT on Wednesday could "increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services".
The amber - level three - alert is one below a national emergency and indicates social and healthcare services should target "high-risk" groups, such as the very young or old, or those with chronic diseases.
Public Health England also urged people to look out for vulnerable friends and family and neighbours during the cold snap.
BBC News
No comments:
Post a Comment