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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) | |
| A number of flights at Heathrow have been cancelled “due to crew and aircraft being out of position following yesterday’s weather.” | |
| UPDATE | Disruption continues following yesterday’s weather. If your flight is cancelled, please do not travel to the airport. https://t.co/zOqJyQR48T pic.twitter.com/ZczcxvAQ4I | |
| Peter Grant, the SNP MP for Glenrothes and Central Fife, criticised British Airways for cancelling flights “because it was cold”. | |
| Just to be clear, there was hardly any snow at Heathrow yesterday. BA cancelled about 300 flights because it was cold. https://t.co/opIdGEDuRe | |
| He points out it wasn’t the only airport to hit by the weather, but British Airways appears to reporting the most disruption. | |
| Wondering if there’s more to this than BA have said. This morning’s reports suggested it was only BA flights in & out of Heathrow that were badly affected. Heathrow wasn’t the only cold place. | |
| Worcestershire is one of the areas worst hit, writes Will Tilbrook. There are some 200 schools closed across the county. | |
| Don't forget, a significant number of schools across Worcestershire are closed today. Find the latest here: https://t.co/NbwPSjh534 pic.twitter.com/z0IDcymvck | |
| Don't forget, a significant number of schools across Worcestershire are closed today. Find the latest here: https://t.co/NbwPSjh534 pic.twitter.com/z0IDcymvck | |
| Heart of Worcestershire College is also closed. | |
| REMINDER: All Heart of Worcestershire College sites will be closed on Monday 11th December due to adverse weather conditions. We will continue to assess the situation and will provide updates via our website and social media channels.Have a safe snow day!! pic.twitter.com/ZIHXkvBX1E | |
| But the University of Worcester is open. | |
| The University is open today but please be careful travelling. Follow @WorcsTravel for road news. @worcester_uni @WorcesterSU #uksnow https://t.co/QCUHIv6xJe | |
| Powis and Chirk castles in Wales are among a number of National Trust Wales attractions that have been forced to close because of the weather. | |
| ⛄️Snow update: Some of our special places are closed today (Monday 11 December) due to heavy snow and ice. Please check the website before travelling. Stay safe. #uksnow ❄️ 🌨 pic.twitter.com/9Sgx8ZuLlD | |
| Motorists are being warned of havoc on the roads as snow turns to ice after the weekend’s wintry blast. | Motorists are being warned of havoc on the roads as snow turns to ice after the weekend’s wintry blast. |
| Pete Williams, the RAC’s road safety spokesman, said the motorists’ service was expecting 11,000 breakdowns on Monday, 20% above the seasonal norm. “I think the big thing is people are not going to leave enough time,” he said. “Journeys will take two to three times longer. It’s going to be treacherous driving conditions.” | Pete Williams, the RAC’s road safety spokesman, said the motorists’ service was expecting 11,000 breakdowns on Monday, 20% above the seasonal norm. “I think the big thing is people are not going to leave enough time,” he said. “Journeys will take two to three times longer. It’s going to be treacherous driving conditions.” |
| But so far fears of a “Black Ice Monday” appear overblown. | But so far fears of a “Black Ice Monday” appear overblown. |
| Black ice Monday MAPPED: More snow to fall HERE today as Britain FREEZES OVER https://t.co/e2ddFiHt6Z pic.twitter.com/VerddPS8TN | Black ice Monday MAPPED: More snow to fall HERE today as Britain FREEZES OVER https://t.co/e2ddFiHt6Z pic.twitter.com/VerddPS8TN |
| There have been some pretty impressive snow sculptures in the last 24 hours. | There have been some pretty impressive snow sculptures in the last 24 hours. |
| London is full of street art tributes to Amy Winehouse. Here’s one of the more ephemeral dedications spotted in Hampstead Heath today. #uksnow Photo: @sonya_barber | London is full of street art tributes to Amy Winehouse. Here’s one of the more ephemeral dedications spotted in Hampstead Heath today. #uksnow Photo: @sonya_barber |
| A post shared by The Guardian (@guardian) on Dec 10, 2017 at 12:15pm PST | A post shared by The Guardian (@guardian) on Dec 10, 2017 at 12:15pm PST |
| What a snow sculpture!!!This @West_Belfast guy has serious talent🎄🎄🎄@newbelfast pic.twitter.com/jkCOxPx65g | What a snow sculpture!!!This @West_Belfast guy has serious talent🎄🎄🎄@newbelfast pic.twitter.com/jkCOxPx65g |
| So considering snow in Hatfield UK is an unusual occurrence, how does our snow sculpture rate? #snow #santa (#fatherchristmas) and his #dog #snowysunday pic.twitter.com/hv0NDH1adA | So considering snow in Hatfield UK is an unusual occurrence, how does our snow sculpture rate? #snow #santa (#fatherchristmas) and his #dog #snowysunday pic.twitter.com/hv0NDH1adA |
| Last snow sculpture of the day. The great fire eyed snow cat of Oxfordshire! pic.twitter.com/KPa0QlUidd | Last snow sculpture of the day. The great fire eyed snow cat of Oxfordshire! pic.twitter.com/KPa0QlUidd |
| Please send pictures of your favourite snow sculptures to GuardianWitness. | Please send pictures of your favourite snow sculptures to GuardianWitness. |
| Hundreds of schools are closed today. The government has set up a postcode finder to check if your child’s school is among them. | Hundreds of schools are closed today. The government has set up a postcode finder to check if your child’s school is among them. |
| The snow arrived at a crucial time in the undergraduate interview season at Oxford University, with the city and surrounding region hit hard. | The snow arrived at a crucial time in the undergraduate interview season at Oxford University, with the city and surrounding region hit hard. |
| Oxford is advising candidates to contact the relevant colleges if they are having trouble travelling to the city. | Oxford is advising candidates to contact the relevant colleges if they are having trouble travelling to the city. |
| We are thinking of all the students making their way to @uniofoxford for their #OxInterview this week. Take care in the snow, and contact your college in case of any delays: https://t.co/neiiYK8Xxt pic.twitter.com/RbR3GaFwHH | We are thinking of all the students making their way to @uniofoxford for their #OxInterview this week. Take care in the snow, and contact your college in case of any delays: https://t.co/neiiYK8Xxt pic.twitter.com/RbR3GaFwHH |
| Around 200 schools in Oxfordshire have closed today because of snow, and Oxford Brookes University has closed its campus. | Around 200 schools in Oxfordshire have closed today because of snow, and Oxford Brookes University has closed its campus. |
| Due to the heavy snow across our campuses today (10 December), the University has taken the decision to close all buildings across each of its campuses today and will remain closed on Monday 11 December. Staff/students should check Brookes email for more info. #SnowDay ❄ 1 / 2 pic.twitter.com/ZV9uEW3VKm | Due to the heavy snow across our campuses today (10 December), the University has taken the decision to close all buildings across each of its campuses today and will remain closed on Monday 11 December. Staff/students should check Brookes email for more info. #SnowDay ❄ 1 / 2 pic.twitter.com/ZV9uEW3VKm |
| How is the snow and ice affecting you this morning? We want to hear about the impact on the roads and transport system, as well as children who are unable to go into school. Share your stories, views, and photos with us. Please think about your safety and security first when recording and sharing your content. | How is the snow and ice affecting you this morning? We want to hear about the impact on the roads and transport system, as well as children who are unable to go into school. Share your stories, views, and photos with us. Please think about your safety and security first when recording and sharing your content. |
| Almost 3,000 customers of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks spent a night without electricity, but the company has restored power to 48,000 households. It said the worst-hit areas were Oxfordshire, where 800 homes are without power, Wiltshire and parts of Berkshire. | Almost 3,000 customers of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks spent a night without electricity, but the company has restored power to 48,000 households. It said the worst-hit areas were Oxfordshire, where 800 homes are without power, Wiltshire and parts of Berkshire. |
| It said heavy snow and winds of up to 70mph caused damage to the network’s overhead power lines. | It said heavy snow and winds of up to 70mph caused damage to the network’s overhead power lines. |
| Craig Gilroy, director of customer operations for SSEN, said: “With the worst of the weather now behind us, our engineers have made good progress restoring power to homes affected by today’s weather event. Unfortunately, with heavy snow and travel issues still restricting access to fault locations, we expect around 800 customers in Oxfordshire to remain without power overnight. | Craig Gilroy, director of customer operations for SSEN, said: “With the worst of the weather now behind us, our engineers have made good progress restoring power to homes affected by today’s weather event. Unfortunately, with heavy snow and travel issues still restricting access to fault locations, we expect around 800 customers in Oxfordshire to remain without power overnight. |
| “We have now contacted each of these customers to provide an update and offer welfare facilities. I’d like to thank customers for their patience and assure them we will be working hard from first light to get access to faults and carry out the final repairs. | “We have now contacted each of these customers to provide an update and offer welfare facilities. I’d like to thank customers for their patience and assure them we will be working hard from first light to get access to faults and carry out the final repairs. |
| ** YELLOW ALERT UPDATE **We've restored power to over 48,000 homes following heavy snow and up to 70mph winds across our southern region. We aim to restore the remaining 2,900 customers by the morning. https://t.co/QNb4zf0fXT pic.twitter.com/oEG7vwfVKv | ** YELLOW ALERT UPDATE **We've restored power to over 48,000 homes following heavy snow and up to 70mph winds across our southern region. We aim to restore the remaining 2,900 customers by the morning. https://t.co/QNb4zf0fXT pic.twitter.com/oEG7vwfVKv |
| A Met Office yellow severe weather warning for ice will remain in place for large parts of the UK until around 11am. | A Met Office yellow severe weather warning for ice will remain in place for large parts of the UK until around 11am. |
| A yellow warning means that you should “plan ahead thinking about possible travel delays, or the disruption of your day to day activities”. | A yellow warning means that you should “plan ahead thinking about possible travel delays, or the disruption of your day to day activities”. |
| The forecast is for an icy start with rain in the south-east. Most of the rest of the UK will be cold but sunny. | The forecast is for an icy start with rain in the south-east. Most of the rest of the UK will be cold but sunny. |
| Good morning! An icy start for some this morning ❄️ Rain, sleet and snow will affect the southeast today, with a mixture of sunshine and showers elsewhere 🌦️ pic.twitter.com/WHljyWC7mn | Good morning! An icy start for some this morning ❄️ Rain, sleet and snow will affect the southeast today, with a mixture of sunshine and showers elsewhere 🌦️ pic.twitter.com/WHljyWC7mn |
| There are currently 20 rail services cancelled in Scotland, according to ScotRail’s journey checker. The latest problems include a points failure at Newton, which will hit services until at least 8.30am, and a broken-down train in Glasgow which is blocking the route to Paisley. | There are currently 20 rail services cancelled in Scotland, according to ScotRail’s journey checker. The latest problems include a points failure at Newton, which will hit services until at least 8.30am, and a broken-down train in Glasgow which is blocking the route to Paisley. |
| UPDATE: #GlasgowCentral. Due to this broken down train, we’re not able to run trains between Glasgow & Paisley just now. Engineers on way to failed train. ^CT | UPDATE: #GlasgowCentral. Due to this broken down train, we’re not able to run trains between Glasgow & Paisley just now. Engineers on way to failed train. ^CT |
| NEW: We’re dealing with a points failure at #Newton. Staff are on site working to repair now. Services through the station will be disruption until at least 08:30. We’re sorry about this. ^CT pic.twitter.com/xT745P0Eci | NEW: We’re dealing with a points failure at #Newton. Staff are on site working to repair now. Services through the station will be disruption until at least 08:30. We’re sorry about this. ^CT pic.twitter.com/xT745P0Eci |
| Highways England has declared the main road and motorway network clear. | Highways England has declared the main road and motorway network clear. |
| Frank Bird, an emergency planning officer, said: “For our network there aren’t any problems. All of our motorways are back to tarmac. Some of the three lane motorways are still only two lanes, but we are working to try and clear that throughout the day. For the large part we would say once you can get to the motorways it’s safe motoring.” | Frank Bird, an emergency planning officer, said: “For our network there aren’t any problems. All of our motorways are back to tarmac. Some of the three lane motorways are still only two lanes, but we are working to try and clear that throughout the day. For the large part we would say once you can get to the motorways it’s safe motoring.” |
| He told BBC Breakfast that staff were working 14-hour shifts over the weekend to keep the roads open. | He told BBC Breakfast that staff were working 14-hour shifts over the weekend to keep the roads open. |
| He said: “We’ve had round the clock gritting. We had 56 gritters out on the motorway network in the West Midlands alone. For a short period we borrowed some from the north-west, which is why we’ve managed to keep the motorway network going all through yesterday.” | He said: “We’ve had round the clock gritting. We had 56 gritters out on the motorway network in the West Midlands alone. For a short period we borrowed some from the north-west, which is why we’ve managed to keep the motorway network going all through yesterday.” |
| Bird claimed the worst problem on Sunday was lorries blocking the M40 which led to 55-minute delays. | Bird claimed the worst problem on Sunday was lorries blocking the M40 which led to 55-minute delays. |
| But he added: “As long as you took it nice and steady people got where they were going to. We’ve not seen snow like this for seven years so it is challenging for all of us.” | But he added: “As long as you took it nice and steady people got where they were going to. We’ve not seen snow like this for seven years so it is challenging for all of us.” |
| Meanwhile in America... | Meanwhile in America... |
| WALK OF TOUCHDOWN!!!!LESEAN MCCOY'S WALK OFF OVERTIME 21 YARD TOUCHDOWN IN THE SNOW IS EVEN BETTER WITH TITANIC MUSIC!!! WHAT A SCENE IN BUFFALO!!! @BUFFALOBILLS BEAT THE COLTS!!!!🏈🚢🎶 pic.twitter.com/HPSb5Imai8 | WALK OF TOUCHDOWN!!!!LESEAN MCCOY'S WALK OFF OVERTIME 21 YARD TOUCHDOWN IN THE SNOW IS EVEN BETTER WITH TITANIC MUSIC!!! WHAT A SCENE IN BUFFALO!!! @BUFFALOBILLS BEAT THE COLTS!!!!🏈🚢🎶 pic.twitter.com/HPSb5Imai8 |
| The RAC wants motorists to take it slow today. | The RAC wants motorists to take it slow today. |
| Pete Williams, the group’s road safety spokesman, has told the Press Association that they are expecting 11,000 breakdowns today, 20% more than the seasonal norm. | Pete Williams, the group’s road safety spokesman, has told the Press Association that they are expecting 11,000 breakdowns today, 20% more than the seasonal norm. |
| “I think the big thing is people are not going to leave enough time,” he said. “Journeys will take two to three times longer. It’s going to be treacherous driving conditions.” | “I think the big thing is people are not going to leave enough time,” he said. “Journeys will take two to three times longer. It’s going to be treacherous driving conditions.” |
| He said low overnight temperatures could cause black ice and he urged people to drive slowly, leaving plenty of space between them and the vehicle in front. | He said low overnight temperatures could cause black ice and he urged people to drive slowly, leaving plenty of space between them and the vehicle in front. |
| It seems even famous footballers aren’t immune to the effects of snow. | It seems even famous footballers aren’t immune to the effects of snow. |
| Not ideal at 5:30am when you’ve got a train to catch! Thought I was clever sheltering my car from the snow! 😂🙈 pic.twitter.com/9Oqz8UxiPR | Not ideal at 5:30am when you’ve got a train to catch! Thought I was clever sheltering my car from the snow! 😂🙈 pic.twitter.com/9Oqz8UxiPR |
| More than 50 schools across Oxfordshire have announced that they are closed today because of snow, including the major state secondaries Cherwell, Matthew Arnold and Cheney schools in Oxford city. | More than 50 schools across Oxfordshire have announced that they are closed today because of snow, including the major state secondaries Cherwell, Matthew Arnold and Cheney schools in Oxford city. |
| Looks like Birmingham got another rather heavy dusting last night ... | Looks like Birmingham got another rather heavy dusting last night ... |
| They said this snow would stop in Birmingham at around 8. It's not stopped. It's still snowing. In some parts of my garden it's over 30cm deep. pic.twitter.com/WLjpjcuRs5 | They said this snow would stop in Birmingham at around 8. It's not stopped. It's still snowing. In some parts of my garden it's over 30cm deep. pic.twitter.com/WLjpjcuRs5 |
| Glad I'm not going out in that this morning ❄❄❄ was still snowing after 1 am here #snow #Birmingham take care all those travelling to work pic.twitter.com/9yWU85c3AD | Glad I'm not going out in that this morning ❄❄❄ was still snowing after 1 am here #snow #Birmingham take care all those travelling to work pic.twitter.com/9yWU85c3AD |