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| Wild weather for Easter weekend | Wild weather for Easter weekend |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Storms, gale force winds, sleet and snow are making for one of the dreariest Easter weekends in years - and show no sign of easing. | |
| "There is no sign of spring out there, to be honest," said Met Office forecaster Chris Almond. | |
| Snow has already slowed roads in northern England, and high winds are bringing snowy showers down the entire eastern side of the country. | |
| It could snow as far south as London overnight on Saturday. | |
| "It won't be a huge amount of snow in London, but there will be a few centimetres," Mr Almond said. | |
| More to come | More to come |
| On Saturday a multi-vehicle crash on the M6 between junctions 16 and 17 near Sandbach in Cheshire closed the motorway in both directions. | |
| Police said there had been multiple severe casualties but that northbound carriageway had reopened to traffic. | |
| RAILWAYS Scheduled maintenance: West Coast main line: Closed Good Friday-Easter Monday between Coventry, Rugby and Northampton and from London Euston Sat - MondayEast Coast main line: London King's Cross - NE England and Scotland services diverted via Leeds, 1400 Sat - 1400 SunGreat Western main line: Didcot Parkway - Swindon and Chippenham services replaced by a bus service or diverted, Fri-MonSouth West main line: Alterations and diversions to services to and from London Waterloo due to engineering works at Clapham Junction, Fri-MonEast Anglia/Essex coast line: Replacement bus service between Gidea Park, Billericay and Ingatestone class="" href="http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/easter_2008/index.html">National Rail Easter 2008 summary | |
| Motorists were warned of severe delays while the accident is investigated. | |
| Mr Almond said the mixture of rain and wet snow would continue. | |
| He added that while it may feel unseasonably cold, statistics showed Britain had a greater chance of seeing snow at Easter than it did at Christmas. | |
| In the north of England, the snow and high winds brought chaos to Cumbria, with roads closed and buildings damaged. | |
| The A66 route across the Pennines is closed at Bowes in County Durham because of snow and a number of stranded heavy goods vehicles on the Cumbrian border. | The A66 route across the Pennines is closed at Bowes in County Durham because of snow and a number of stranded heavy goods vehicles on the Cumbrian border. |
| A spokesman for Durham Police said the A66 had become impassable at Bowes. He added that snow had also fallen near Consett, and warned motorists to take extra care. | |
| Some roads in Ulverston in the Lake District have also been closed, after roof slates were ripped from roofs in high winds. | |
| Crashing waves | Crashing waves |
| In north-east England, the Coastguard warned people to stay clear of Redcar promenade after parked cars were swamped by wind-swept waves. | |
| Coastguard officials said some onlookers had strayed too close to crashing waves at Redcar and urged people to stay away from seafront areas. | Coastguard officials said some onlookers had strayed too close to crashing waves at Redcar and urged people to stay away from seafront areas. |
| There have so far been no reports of injuries. | |
| On Tyneside, both Tynemouth and Whitley Bay suffered when winds gusting up to 50mph sent waves crashing over sea walls. | On Tyneside, both Tynemouth and Whitley Bay suffered when winds gusting up to 50mph sent waves crashing over sea walls. |
| A cordon was set up near the Rex Hotel in Whitley Bay, when scaffolding collapsed, damaging some vehicles. Council engineers and contractors are assessing the situation. | A cordon was set up near the Rex Hotel in Whitley Bay, when scaffolding collapsed, damaging some vehicles. Council engineers and contractors are assessing the situation. |
| Rail delays | |
| The bad weather for motorists comes just as a spate of railway engineering projects have severely limited the rail network across the UK. | The bad weather for motorists comes just as a spate of railway engineering projects have severely limited the rail network across the UK. |
| The works mean some of the busiest routes in the country will be reduced to just one train an hour, causing many people to opt to drive over the Easter holiday. | The works mean some of the busiest routes in the country will be reduced to just one train an hour, causing many people to opt to drive over the Easter holiday. |
| The AA said 6.5 million cars were expected on the roads over the weekend. | The AA said 6.5 million cars were expected on the roads over the weekend. |
| Eurostar said it expected to carry a record 160,000 rail travellers through the Channel Tunnel over Easter. | Eurostar said it expected to carry a record 160,000 rail travellers through the Channel Tunnel over Easter. |
| On the London Tube, the Circle, District, Hammersmith and City, Jubilee and Metropolitan lines are affected by engineering works. | On the London Tube, the Circle, District, Hammersmith and City, Jubilee and Metropolitan lines are affected by engineering works. |
| Have you been affected by the Easter travel disruption? Send us your comments by filling out the form below. | Have you been affected by the Easter travel disruption? Send us your comments by filling out the form below. |