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UK weather: ice brings further hazards to vast swaths of country - live UK weather: ice brings further hazards to vast swaths of country - live
(about 2 hours later)
Impressive show of strength by this group who managed to push an Asda truck up a hill in Birmingham last night.
Ah, push it, push it, push it real good! Well done to the group of men who managed to push an ASDA truck up Harborne Park Road during the snow storm on Friday (02/03) (Video: Sameer Bahal) pic.twitter.com/wFIoIYJWhl
The A46 is still partly closed according to Highways England. But the A303 has been re-opened.
The #A46 remains closed between the #M4 at J18 and the #A4 near #Bath. Ploughs are on scene dealing with drifts of approx 12 feet high. Closures are expected to remain in place for most of the day. Pls see pics below pic.twitter.com/m4aTxe5Xs7
The #A303 is open in both directions between the #A30 near Honiton and the #A358 near #HortonCross. @DC_Police have worked hard to re-open the road. Thank you for your continued patience pic.twitter.com/BNa5QkOfFq
Sixteen couples managed to tie the knot in Somerset on Friday and Saturday despite the county being blanketed in snow.
Eleven other weddings were cancelled but only at the request of the couples involved, according to Somerset County Council.
A volunteer driver and a family friend of a staff member used their 4x4 vehicles to transport ceremony officers around to each venue to ensure the services could go ahead.
On Saturday, Michael Barker and Nathan Wilder had a white wedding at Taunton’s Municipal Buildings thanks to two registrars who lived nearby and came in on their days off when the original staff could not make it to work.
Councillor Anna Groskop, who is cabinet member for corporate and community services at the council, which covers the registration service, said:
The registration team have worked incredibly hard and showed great ingenuity throughout to ensure that we didn’t disappoint happy couples despite the extremely difficult conditions.
We did expect the worst, so this is a wonderful result.
Eight men arrested after two supermarkets were looted in Dublin during Friday’s blizzards have been charged with theft, burglary and trespassing offences, Irish Police have said.
The defendants, aged between 24 and 47 years, were due to appear in court on Saturday morning. A number of vehicles were also reported stolen.
A ninth man, in his 30s, has been arrested for handling stolen property.
Unverified social media footage appeared to show a Lidl store being attacked with a digger before the alleged looters entered.
Irish police said the store had sustained substantial damage, while another store had also been damaged. They urged anyone with information to come forward.
National Rail have been tweeting some updates about lines.
#UKSnowXC - A very limited CrossCountry service is now able to run between Edinburgh and Newcastle. CrossCountry are expecting these service to be very busy, you may be standing for the duration of the journey.
#UKSnowGW - Trains can now run and call at intermediate stations between Newbury and Bedwyn. Trains may be delayed by up to 15 minutes or revised whilst services return to normal.
#UKSnowGW - A reduced service will run to and from Severn Beach, St Ives and Falmouth Docks due to poor weather conditions. Further info here: https://t.co/OS1IdFFNOn
Northern Powergrid has said it hopes to restore power to everyone this afternoon.
We’re still working hard to get the power back on in #DN36; we aim to have everyone back on supply by 15:00. Thanks for your patience
We’ve collated a gallery of some of the best snow photographs around today. Click through if you want to see some lions having a great time in Scotland.
In a bid to ensure kids can return to class on Monday, parents and teachers are grouping together to clear snow from school.
100 volunteers turned up to Kinnaird Primary School in Larbert today, after an appeal was put out by the school on social media. Armed with shovels and spades, parents, children and teachers worked to ensure the school is safe to reopen after three days of weather-enforced closure last week.
Many local authorities announced last Tuesday that schools would be closed ahead of the weather warnings, with others following suit on Wednesday morning when conditions worsened. Most hope to reopen on Monday.
Kinnaird deputy head teacher Laura Swan joked: “I think there’s an element of parents being desperate to get the kids back out the house but it’s also the reality that the school wouldn’t be able to open without this so they’re just pulling together.”
Other schools around the country are doing likewise with Abbeyhill Primary in Edinburgh organising a “snow clearing party” for Sunday.
A Twitter post said: “Come dressed to impress in your warmest winter clothes and we really could make a difference for Monday morning. Bring a flask of something hot and we will provide some snacks.”
Avon and Somerset police dogs are having fun.Avon and Somerset police dogs are having fun.
Snow dog !! pic.twitter.com/99jVCGhHPwSnow dog !! pic.twitter.com/99jVCGhHPw
Greater Manchester Police say the A640 in Denshaw remains closed but all other road closures in the Oldham and Rochdale areas have been lifted. Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said:Greater Manchester Police say the A640 in Denshaw remains closed but all other road closures in the Oldham and Rochdale areas have been lifted. Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said:
This truly has been a team effort from start to finish and we have been working closely alongside colleagues from the fire and ambulance services, mountain rescue, Highways England, multiple local authorities, the military, other police forces and volunteers.This truly has been a team effort from start to finish and we have been working closely alongside colleagues from the fire and ambulance services, mountain rescue, Highways England, multiple local authorities, the military, other police forces and volunteers.
I would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding whilst rescue efforts have been carried out. Their support has been fantastic and we have even had some very thoughtful people coming out to provide hot refreshments to officers working on the ground.I would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding whilst rescue efforts have been carried out. Their support has been fantastic and we have even had some very thoughtful people coming out to provide hot refreshments to officers working on the ground.
He said although the roads were starting to clear of snow in some areas, they were still experiencing very cold and icy conditions, “so I would continue to encourage people to please plan your journeys ahead of time and drive carefully.”He said although the roads were starting to clear of snow in some areas, they were still experiencing very cold and icy conditions, “so I would continue to encourage people to please plan your journeys ahead of time and drive carefully.”
Here’s a travel update from Great Western Railway. Many lines remain suspended.
UPDATE: ⚠ Travel Advice for Saturday 3 MarchPlease use https://t.co/kSQp5pCyxoCustomers that have bought tickets in advance for travel Thursday, Friday or over the weekend can use these tickets up to the end of play Monday 5 March. pic.twitter.com/wIUdtnT22W
Dont try this at home:
Don't forget to fully clear your windows before you set off. But maybe not the same way as Inspector Whitley... 😂⛄️😎👮‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/G2jPY9ncdi
The British Transport Police has urged people not to leave trains if they become stranded or delayed. A statement said
This week we have seen a number of incidents of people self-evacuating from trains stranded due to the exceptional weather.
Whilst we totally understand it isn’t pleasant being trapped on a train, you are far safer on board.
Self-evacuating from trains is never a good idea as it places you and others at significant risk. You are risking your life trespassing on live tracks.
Further delays are also inevitable if people self-evacuate as power has to be turned off for safety reasons.
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service have issued advice for residents in the event of emergency flooding. The force said it responded to a number of incidents caused by frozen pipes bursting.
#TheBigThaw: overnight our crews have responded to a number of flooding incidents caused by frozen pipes bursting. We have issued some advice to help better prepare residents in the event of an emergency: https://t.co/DFjPhJBQ2K #Berkshire #BePrepared pic.twitter.com/cAeaEA8FJy
Cumbria police have issued some travel advice:
Here are the latest road conditions from @CumbriaCC. Please drive with care and don't ignore road closed signs. Also try and avoid rural and high roads.You can check live road conditions here---> https://t.co/lUBVYMe7rG pic.twitter.com/lQqoLo46Nu
An elderly couple and their two dogs have been dug out of their house in southern Scotland after becoming trapped by 12ft (3.6m) snow drifts around the property.
Two police officers and a mountain rescue team managed to dig them out of the secluded farm house near West Linton after they called for help on Friday afternoon.
The couple, aged 70 and 71, had run out of firewood for heating and were cut off from their coal shed by the time they were freed. They were found to be in good health and were taken to stay with a friend, along with the two dogs.
Dave Wright, from Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue, said:
They were perfectly alright when we got them out the house, they were a little bit surprised by how the situation escalated so quickly and I don’t think they had experienced anything like that before, but this type of weather hasn’t been seen for quite some time.
We’re obviously used to working in the mountains and hills, but we haven’t seen conditions like this at ground level for a long time, it trumps 2010 and 2001 for the level of snow depth and how the drifts have been piling up.
Snow will continue to fall this afternoon but southern England is starting to see rain showers.
Still #cold with a lot of #snow falling this afternoon, but #rain showers and a slow thaw across southern England. Take care if you're heading out pic.twitter.com/rQMgbkhl1F
The West Coast Main Line between Glasgow and Carlisle will re-open this afternoon, Network Rail Scotland has said. The East Coast Main Line between Edinburgh and Newcastle is also open.
GOOD NEWS !The West Coast Main Line (WCML) between #Glasgow and #Carlisle will re-open from early this afternoon. We are working with @VirginTrains to reintroduce service We will continue to monitor the line throughout the day as safety remains top priority.
East Coast Main Line (ECML) is open btwn #Edinburgh & #Newcastle (+ to #Dunbar) We are working with @Virgin_TrainsEC on reintroduction of service@CrossCountryUK will reintroduce service after 12 noonWe'll continue to monitor line throughout day as safety remains top priority
South Western has said there will be no trains between Southampton and Weymouth on Saturday. A full list of lines is available on the company’s website.
There are no trains operating between Southampton Central and Weymouth. We urge passengers not to attempt to travel past Southampton. Please see here for more information:- https://t.co/pkL7rv4JVT
A disabled woman who took refuge from the icy conditions in a chemist after her electric wheelchair broke down has been rescued by a fire crew.
Fire fighters from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue put a blanket on the “freezing” woman, who was not wearing a coat, before driving her home after she became stranded in Moorends, Doncaster.
It took three fire fighters almost half an hour to push the heavy eight-battery chair a quarter of a mile through ice and snow to her home. Daz Robertson, who drove her back, said the woman had been out doing some errands, but could not use her keys to get into the house when she returned because her fingers were too cold.
She went out on the chair to seek help, which was when the batteries went flat and she was taken in by a chemist, which stayed open late to look after her as darkness fell.