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| Snow brings travel chaos, power cuts and bets on a white Easter | Snow brings travel chaos, power cuts and bets on a white Easter |
| (12 days later) | |
| It was supposed to be the highlight of an otherwise grim year – two ice skating galas in Belfast this weekend held in honour of Katie Scarborough, a former British junior champion figure skater who is battling bowel cancer. But on Saturday afternoon the mother-of-two was stuck in a hotel in south Ayrshire, willing the snow to stop falling so that she could reach the port of Cairnryan to catch a ferry to her home town. | It was supposed to be the highlight of an otherwise grim year – two ice skating galas in Belfast this weekend held in honour of Katie Scarborough, a former British junior champion figure skater who is battling bowel cancer. But on Saturday afternoon the mother-of-two was stuck in a hotel in south Ayrshire, willing the snow to stop falling so that she could reach the port of Cairnryan to catch a ferry to her home town. |
| The problem was the A77 coastal road, which was closed in both directions from the hotel to the ferry port. The 32-year-old had left Birmingham on Friday morning, she said, and was determined not to miss the charity fundraising show. She was "gutted and upset", she wrote on Twitter (@katiescarb). Her friends rallied around, trying but failing to find someone with a helicopter who could give her a lift over the Irish Sea. By 1pm on Saturday, she had formulated a plan to drive to Edinburgh and fly to Belfast. She would arrive too late for Saturday's gala, but would make it in good time for Sunday's show. | The problem was the A77 coastal road, which was closed in both directions from the hotel to the ferry port. The 32-year-old had left Birmingham on Friday morning, she said, and was determined not to miss the charity fundraising show. She was "gutted and upset", she wrote on Twitter (@katiescarb). Her friends rallied around, trying but failing to find someone with a helicopter who could give her a lift over the Irish Sea. By 1pm on Saturday, she had formulated a plan to drive to Edinburgh and fly to Belfast. She would arrive too late for Saturday's gala, but would make it in good time for Sunday's show. |
| Scarborough was one of thousands of Britons whose weekends were ruined by a wholly unseasonal and highly inconvenient blanket of snow that covered much of the UK on Friday and Saturday, adding more misery to what forecasters believe could be the coldest March in 50 years. Over at Scarborough's destination, Northern Ireland, 35,000 homes were without electricity after 24 hours of severe weather. Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said it could be days before all the problems are fixed. The power cuts also disrupted water supplies in some areas, with about 1,000 households in south Antrim and parts of Co Down without water. An NIE helicopter patrolled electricity lines in areas that were not reachable by road. | Scarborough was one of thousands of Britons whose weekends were ruined by a wholly unseasonal and highly inconvenient blanket of snow that covered much of the UK on Friday and Saturday, adding more misery to what forecasters believe could be the coldest March in 50 years. Over at Scarborough's destination, Northern Ireland, 35,000 homes were without electricity after 24 hours of severe weather. Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said it could be days before all the problems are fixed. The power cuts also disrupted water supplies in some areas, with about 1,000 households in south Antrim and parts of Co Down without water. An NIE helicopter patrolled electricity lines in areas that were not reachable by road. |
| A spokeswoman for NIE said: "Emergency crews have been working since first light yesterday to restore power but access to faults is proving difficult. Specialist engineers will be monitoring the network from the helicopter and provide vital information on access and network damage to crews on the ground." | A spokeswoman for NIE said: "Emergency crews have been working since first light yesterday to restore power but access to faults is proving difficult. Specialist engineers will be monitoring the network from the helicopter and provide vital information on access and network damage to crews on the ground." |
| Homes in Cumbria and south-west Scotland were also left without power. In north Wales, the snow was so thick that hospital staff, paramedics and renal patients had to be taken to hospitals by British Red Cross volunteers, using 4x4 vehicles to negotiate treacherous roads. By lunchtime on Saturday, they had helped more than 70 people in the Wrexham and Flintshire areas, starting at 5.15am. | Homes in Cumbria and south-west Scotland were also left without power. In north Wales, the snow was so thick that hospital staff, paramedics and renal patients had to be taken to hospitals by British Red Cross volunteers, using 4x4 vehicles to negotiate treacherous roads. By lunchtime on Saturday, they had helped more than 70 people in the Wrexham and Flintshire areas, starting at 5.15am. |
| David Hallows, service manager for emergency response for the Red Cross in north Wales, said: "I've never seen snow like it. It's a metre thick in places and it's not drifting. I just can't believe it. It's great to know that our 4x4 capability can be of such vital use to medical staff in getting them through these tough weather conditions to patients, many of whom are seriously ill." | David Hallows, service manager for emergency response for the Red Cross in north Wales, said: "I've never seen snow like it. It's a metre thick in places and it's not drifting. I just can't believe it. It's great to know that our 4x4 capability can be of such vital use to medical staff in getting them through these tough weather conditions to patients, many of whom are seriously ill." |
| The Highways Agency said the road network was performing well despite the weather, but warned road users to check conditions before travelling. Trains were badly affected by the snow, however, with disruptions on First Transpennine Express services between Huddersfield and Manchester, and no Northern Rail services between Skipton and Carlisle. Many passengers had little patience with the train companies, given that the snow had been forecast. | The Highways Agency said the road network was performing well despite the weather, but warned road users to check conditions before travelling. Trains were badly affected by the snow, however, with disruptions on First Transpennine Express services between Huddersfield and Manchester, and no Northern Rail services between Skipton and Carlisle. Many passengers had little patience with the train companies, given that the snow had been forecast. |
| There was no snow on the ground in central Manchester and yet the departure board at Piccadilly station was a rollcall of delays. "It's a shambles how the country grinds to a halt every time there is a bit of snow, especially when they knew it was coming," said Kelly Bancroft, 32, trying to get to London. | There was no snow on the ground in central Manchester and yet the departure board at Piccadilly station was a rollcall of delays. "It's a shambles how the country grinds to a halt every time there is a bit of snow, especially when they knew it was coming," said Kelly Bancroft, 32, trying to get to London. |
| The Environment Agency had one flood warning still in place, around the river Clyst in the Broadclyst area of Devon, by midday, and 72 flood alerts. | The Environment Agency had one flood warning still in place, around the river Clyst in the Broadclyst area of Devon, by midday, and 72 flood alerts. |
| A woman who died when her house collapsed during a landslip in Cornwall was named on Saturday as Susan Norman. Her body was found after rescue teams spent hours sifting through the wreckage of her home in Looe with search dogs. The building had collapsed around 6am on Friday amid torrential rain. | A woman who died when her house collapsed during a landslip in Cornwall was named on Saturday as Susan Norman. Her body was found after rescue teams spent hours sifting through the wreckage of her home in Looe with search dogs. The building had collapsed around 6am on Friday amid torrential rain. |
| On Saturday morning, flights out of northern England were disrupted when East Midlands, Leeds Bradford, Humberside and Doncaster's Robin Hood airports closed their runways. At East Midlands, an airport spokesman said airfield crews had to clear an area equivalent to 87 football pitches. | On Saturday morning, flights out of northern England were disrupted when East Midlands, Leeds Bradford, Humberside and Doncaster's Robin Hood airports closed their runways. At East Midlands, an airport spokesman said airfield crews had to clear an area equivalent to 87 football pitches. |
| The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for widespread parts of the country, urging people to be aware of adverse conditions. The highest recorded snowfall was in Bingley in West Yorkshire, which had 22cm (8.6in), but some parts of north-east Wales were thought to have seen up to 30cm of snow. | The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for widespread parts of the country, urging people to be aware of adverse conditions. The highest recorded snowfall was in Bingley in West Yorkshire, which had 22cm (8.6in), but some parts of north-east Wales were thought to have seen up to 30cm of snow. |
| Cumbria police were advising motorists not to travel in the south and west of the county unless absolutely necessary. Seventy drivers spent Friday night at Millom high school in south-west Cumbria, which police opened as a reception centre for those unable to return home. Others who were stuck in their cars slept in local hotels. | Cumbria police were advising motorists not to travel in the south and west of the county unless absolutely necessary. Seventy drivers spent Friday night at Millom high school in south-west Cumbria, which police opened as a reception centre for those unable to return home. Others who were stuck in their cars slept in local hotels. |
| The outlook for the start of the week is that it will remain cloudy across southern areas of England on Monday but it should be largely dry. Eastern parts of the country will see a scattering of snow showers becoming more widespread over northern areas on Tuesday, but southern England, Wales and the Midlands should remain largely dry with sunshine at times. The first white Easter since 2008 is odds-on after a record number of bets were taken by Ladbrokes, which has slashed the odds to 4-5. | The outlook for the start of the week is that it will remain cloudy across southern areas of England on Monday but it should be largely dry. Eastern parts of the country will see a scattering of snow showers becoming more widespread over northern areas on Tuesday, but southern England, Wales and the Midlands should remain largely dry with sunshine at times. The first white Easter since 2008 is odds-on after a record number of bets were taken by Ladbrokes, which has slashed the odds to 4-5. |
| UK WEATHER ROUND-UP | UK WEATHER ROUND-UP |
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