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Kent snow: Walderslade road shut as trees come down | Kent snow: Walderslade road shut as trees come down |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Heavy snowfall has brought more than 100 trees down in a Kent road which saw drivers abandon their cars. | Heavy snowfall has brought more than 100 trees down in a Kent road which saw drivers abandon their cars. |
Road users across the county suffered severe delays as snow and ice forced the closure of a number of roads, including the A2045 in Medway. | |
Kent Police tweeted it had an "incredibly busy night" dealing with stranded vehicles and "numerous RTCs". | Kent Police tweeted it had an "incredibly busy night" dealing with stranded vehicles and "numerous RTCs". |
One driver, Mark Spice, who got stuck on the A2045, told the BBC trees were "falling everywhere, it was so scary". | One driver, Mark Spice, who got stuck on the A2045, told the BBC trees were "falling everywhere, it was so scary". |
Disruption continued on Saturday, as the A2045 Walderslade Woods Road remained shut due to a "continued risk of falling trees". | Disruption continued on Saturday, as the A2045 Walderslade Woods Road remained shut due to a "continued risk of falling trees". |
A Kent County Council spokeswoman said the "sudden and heavy" snowfall "came at the peak of the rush hour" and was not forecast. | |
She said: "The heavy rain washed away any grit that had been spread on the roads and then [it] turned to snow within 20 minutes. | |
"Gritters were dispatched immediately but had difficulty reaching the worst-affected areas due to the number of abandoned vehicles and, in some places, fallen trees." | |
The council said earlier 18 tree surgeons were working to clear the road but it did not expect it to reopen it until Sunday afternoon. | |
The Salvation Army was "in the community in that area delivering welfare to those that need it", it added. | |
However, it urged anyone who needed medical advice to call 111, and to call 999 in an emergency. | |
Mr Spice said he and his partner had to complete a three-mile walk on Saturday to obtain supplies. | |
He said: "We didn't expect to get such a downfall. | |
"The way the snow stuck to the branches of the trees was really strange, and it basically just pulled the trees down. It's been a crazy 24 hours." | |
Southern England bore the brunt of Friday's fresh snowfall, with the Met Office recording snow 19cm (7.5in) deep at RAF Odiham near Basingstoke on Friday evening. | Southern England bore the brunt of Friday's fresh snowfall, with the Met Office recording snow 19cm (7.5in) deep at RAF Odiham near Basingstoke on Friday evening. |
The Met Office said temperatures could reach -16C (3F) in Scotland on Saturday night but that Sunday should be milder. | The Met Office said temperatures could reach -16C (3F) in Scotland on Saturday night but that Sunday should be milder. |
Kent Police closed the A249 Detling Hill on Friday evening due to it being "too dangerous to allow vehicles down the hill", with drivers reporting being trapped for hours. | Kent Police closed the A249 Detling Hill on Friday evening due to it being "too dangerous to allow vehicles down the hill", with drivers reporting being trapped for hours. |
It was finally reopened with the help of "gritters and kind farmers", the force said later. | It was finally reopened with the help of "gritters and kind farmers", the force said later. |
The council's highways winter service Gritting Kent explained in a tweet that rain had washed away previous grit. | |
It added: "The intensity of snowfall within rush-hour traffic meant it was a struggle against Mother Nature." | It added: "The intensity of snowfall within rush-hour traffic meant it was a struggle against Mother Nature." |
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice across southern parts of the UK from 16:00 on Saturday to late Sunday morning. | |
Gritting Kent said in a tweet to expect minimum overnight road surface temperatures of -5C. |
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