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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2017/dec/11/uk-weather-snow-and-ice-expected-to-bring-travel-chaos-live
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| Snow and ice disrupts travel across UK as hundreds of schools close – live | Snow and ice disrupts travel across UK as hundreds of schools close – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Western Power distribution has confirmed that around 7,000 homes in the West Midlands are still without power. | |
| We've restored around 100,000 customers' electricity supplies in the last 24 hours as a result of #StormCaroline. We currently have around 7,000 customers off supply, mostly in the West Midlands. Full update here: https://t.co/f9CpNTWHeF Photo thanks to @DinahLiversidge pic.twitter.com/xsPrxVLGw6 | |
| A further 800 homes in Oxfordshire and Wiltshire had a night without power, according to Scottish and Southern. | |
| Snow and ice continues to cause widespread disruption across the UK. Dozens of rail services have been hit, including a temporary suspension on the Gatwick Express, delays on the Eurostar from London and the rest of Europe, and at least 20 cancellations on rail services in Scotland. | |
| Hundreds of schools have been forced to closed including more than 500 in the East of England, and more than 200 each in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. | |
| Thousands of people were left without power overnight. Western Power Distribution said engineers worked through the night to restore power to 99,500 homes in the Midlands, South Wales and South West but 7,000 customers were still without electricity, 6,500 of them in the West Midlands. | |
| Up to 200 flights from Heathrow are expected to cancelled as passengers complained of waiting hours for travel to be rescheduled. | |
| The Met Office has extended its yellow weather warnings for snow and ice to cover vast swathes of the country, including London and the South East, much of the Midlands, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as the eastern coast of England and northern and western Scotland. | |
| Sunday was the coldest day for seven years with temperatures dipping to -12C in some places and a forecast for worst to come. Monday night could see temperatures drop as low as -15C. | |
| If you have to drive in the snow and ice, here’s a guide to staying safe: | |
| • Charge your mobile phone, fill a hot flask and make sure everyone is dressed for the weather - you may have to get out and walk. | |
| • Clear snow from the roof – it can fall on to the windscreen and block your view. Don't forget the lights. | |
| • To car thieves, frosty mornings are a Christmas gift. Don't leave the car unattended with the engine running. | |
| • Never use boiling water to clear the windscreen – it could crack the glass. | |
| • Pull away in second gear, easing your foot off the clutch gently to avoid wheel-spin. | |
| • Anticipation and smoothness are key. Apply brakes gently. Drive slowly – stopping distances are 10 times longer. | |
| • Stick to main roads, as they are more likely to have been gritted | |
| • Watch out for black ice. The road surface can look wet when it is actually frozen. | |
| • After the snow: salt used to de-ice roads can cause corrosion to your car over time. Wash it off. | |
| Source: AA, RAC and Green Flag | |
| The daytime temperature yesterday was the coldest in seven years, the BBC says. | |
| Yesterday was the coldest day we've had since December 2010. Braemar saw a max day temp of -6.2C. Brrrrrr! Jo pic.twitter.com/hwXDpj7Ce5 | |
| This, posted overnight by an Essex police officer, is an example of how not to drive in these conditions: | This, posted overnight by an Essex police officer, is an example of how not to drive in these conditions: |
| My officers just came across this while on patrol in Harlow, driver reported for Careless driving! pic.twitter.com/AhC6sVu5JT | My officers just came across this while on patrol in Harlow, driver reported for Careless driving! pic.twitter.com/AhC6sVu5JT |
| Eurostar has warned passengers of delays in both directions caused by the snow. | Eurostar has warned passengers of delays in both directions caused by the snow. |
| In a statement posted on its website, it said: | In a statement posted on its website, it said: |
| Our apologies to passengers travelling today from the continent to London St Pancras and vice versa. | Our apologies to passengers travelling today from the continent to London St Pancras and vice versa. |
| Due to the predicted adverse weather conditions in the UK and the rest of Europe, speed restrictions are put in place. This means that your journey could be affected and that the arrival time of your train might be delayed. | Due to the predicted adverse weather conditions in the UK and the rest of Europe, speed restrictions are put in place. This means that your journey could be affected and that the arrival time of your train might be delayed. |
| You have been sharing your stories about snow and ice with us here. | You have been sharing your stories about snow and ice with us here. |
| Rob in Munich is looking on the bright side: “The weather has left my wife stranded with me in Germany. It’s been quite romantic.” | |
| A rare good news story. I am an academic in London but I have been in Munich, Germany, for this term on sabbatical doing research for a book. I have been here since the middle of October and not got to see much of my wife as a result. She has been at home in London. | A rare good news story. I am an academic in London but I have been in Munich, Germany, for this term on sabbatical doing research for a book. I have been here since the middle of October and not got to see much of my wife as a result. She has been at home in London. |
| She came here on Friday night for the weekend and was meant to go back today but her flight was cancelled early this morning. We are lucky because I have a flat here for the next couple of weeks so it did not cause any accommodation problems and it’s just meant we get to spend more time together. | She came here on Friday night for the weekend and was meant to go back today but her flight was cancelled early this morning. We are lucky because I have a flat here for the next couple of weeks so it did not cause any accommodation problems and it’s just meant we get to spend more time together. |
| Today, we are both working but in the evening we will go out to the Christmas markets. The earliest she was allowed to re-book her flight for was 6pm on tomorrow. The airline did not give much other information, just the usual apologies. It’s been nice to spend time together and quite romantic . The snow here has been lovely and not caused much chaos as elsewhere. It just looks really Christmassy. | Today, we are both working but in the evening we will go out to the Christmas markets. The earliest she was allowed to re-book her flight for was 6pm on tomorrow. The airline did not give much other information, just the usual apologies. It’s been nice to spend time together and quite romantic . The snow here has been lovely and not caused much chaos as elsewhere. It just looks really Christmassy. |
| I know it’s a cliche, but it’s true: there has been snow and ice here in Munich for the last couple of weeks to very little effect, whereas a few hours of cold in England seems to have brought the infrastructure to its knees. | I know it’s a cliche, but it’s true: there has been snow and ice here in Munich for the last couple of weeks to very little effect, whereas a few hours of cold in England seems to have brought the infrastructure to its knees. |
| Vicky and Will Duckworth, in Dudley, are not so happy: | Vicky and Will Duckworth, in Dudley, are not so happy: |
| We’ve been living in our motorhome with our dog Poppy for the last 17 months, for a five-year tour of Europe. We are back in the UK to visit people but after a family Christmas meal, we have found ourselves snowed in on the car park we staying on overnight. We’ve cancelled a visit to our sister in Orpington and a doctor’s appointment because we didn’t want to risk travelling. We’ve managed to keep warm so far, but are concerned about running out of the gas we use for heating. | |
| Here’s a map showing the latest Met Office warnings for snow and ice. | Here’s a map showing the latest Met Office warnings for snow and ice. |
| Dozens of rail services in England have been hit by snow, ice and a landslip. The latest problems include: | Dozens of rail services in England have been hit by snow, ice and a landslip. The latest problems include: |
| No trains between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town. | |
| No trains between Great Malvern and Hereford. | |
| A reduced service between Birmingham New Street and Redditch with delays of up to 20 minutes. | |
| Gatwick Express services between London Victoria and Gatwick airport temporarily suspended. | |
| A landslip means services between Preston and Ormskirk are currently unable to run. | A landslip means services between Preston and Ormskirk are currently unable to run. |
| More than 500 schools have been forced to close in the east of England, writes Will Tilbrook. | |
| In Hertfordshire more than 300 schools were closed, according to the council’s website. | |
| ITV News reported that 166 schools were planning to close in Bedfordshire. | ITV News reported that 166 schools were planning to close in Bedfordshire. |
| 51 schools were shut in Essex. | |
| 10 were closed in Cambridgeshire. | |
| Only one school was closed in Suffolk and all the schools in Norfolk remained open. | |
| A pet emu called Farage has been recaptured in Tollesbury, near Maldon, after running loose in the snow. | A pet emu called Farage has been recaptured in Tollesbury, near Maldon, after running loose in the snow. |
| Only in tollesbury would you see an emu escaping in the snow pic.twitter.com/hr7aSO2kVN | Only in tollesbury would you see an emu escaping in the snow pic.twitter.com/hr7aSO2kVN |
| The East Anglian Daily Times has more on the best snow story of the day so far. | The East Anglian Daily Times has more on the best snow story of the day so far. |
| Jasmine Emson and Harriet Balcombe managed to take photographs capturing the drama as it unfolded. | Jasmine Emson and Harriet Balcombe managed to take photographs capturing the drama as it unfolded. |
| “It was just madness,” said Miss Emson. | “It was just madness,” said Miss Emson. |
| “The emu is well known in Tollesbury, it’s called Farage and lives next to the church. | “The emu is well known in Tollesbury, it’s called Farage and lives next to the church. |
| “We were all preparing to go out in the snow and suddenly I saw it run past me, we were all a bit shocked it had got out. | “We were all preparing to go out in the snow and suddenly I saw it run past me, we were all a bit shocked it had got out. |
| “Everyone knows the emu but it was fine, just running loose. | “Everyone knows the emu but it was fine, just running loose. |
| “I heard that a man managed to track it down in the graveyard and bring it back.” | “I heard that a man managed to track it down in the graveyard and bring it back.” |
| Ms Balcombe reassured her Twitter followers that Farage was safely herded home. | Ms Balcombe reassured her Twitter followers that Farage was safely herded home. |
| She tweeted: “Tollesbury’s resident emu (yes, emu) got out this morning and has now been safely herded home.” | She tweeted: “Tollesbury’s resident emu (yes, emu) got out this morning and has now been safely herded home.” |
| Tollesbury’s resident emu (yes, emu) got out this morning and has now been safely herded home. #Essex #snow pic.twitter.com/x1CsRiIDrY | Tollesbury’s resident emu (yes, emu) got out this morning and has now been safely herded home. #Essex #snow pic.twitter.com/x1CsRiIDrY |