January 8, 201016 yr Now we're running out of grit: Councils forced to ration dwindling supplies as Britain faces weekend of chaos By Liz Hazelton Last updated at 4:36 PM on 08th January 2010 Comments (273) Add to My Stories Britain's two salt mines work round the clock to cope with unprecedented demandGovernment accused of failing to make adequate provision for deep freezeDeath toll rises to six after pensioner's frozen body is discovered in back gardenMan, 29, in 'critical condition' after sleighing down hill on mattress in middle of nightPolice investigate claim man emptied grit bin and tried to sell contents to neighboursTragedy of schoolboy, 16, killed on A1 after his mother gave friend a lift as a favour Britain's gritting stocks reached crisis point today as the worst winter freeze for 30 years pushed them perilously close to depletion. With forecasters predicting fresh falls of snow this weekend, motorists face deadly conditions on roads across the country. Many councils have already been forced to ration salt supplies. The Arctic temperatures - which reached minus 22C overnight - have also prompted a political storm as the Government was accused of being inadequately prepared. Environment Secretary Hilary Benn was even forced to concede that there might be 'difficult decisions' to take about which roads would continue to be salted. 'The two salt producers are working flat-out, 24 hours a day, and we have ordered more salt supplies from abroad,' he said. 'But we will face some difficult decisions about where we are going to prioritise gritting of roads in this exceptionally severe and prolonged cold weather. White-out: A Nasa satellite image taken today shows the extent of the deep freeze gripping Britain 'The salt suppliers - and there are two of them, Salt Union and Cleveland Potash - can't work any harder. They are on 24-hour shifts, they have lorries queueing up outside plants to take salt away as soon as it's got out. More... Two men arrested after police follow footprints in the snow from burgled cash machine to houseUK weather and snow update: Latest travel advice as big freeze set to stayPupils face exam chaos as boards refuse to reschedule despite treacherous weather'The forgotten village': Families snowed in for three weeks as council gritters leave hamlet strandedPassengers stranded at airport for two days as airlines cancel flights due to big freezeSkater puts on a show for neighbours after rain froze road, while others get creative with Britain's record snowfallsWhat was she thinking? Woman ignores 'thin ice' warning sign as she leads young girl across frozen pond'Wrong type of snow' leaves hundreds stranded in Channel Tunnel as Eurostar train breaks down AGAINMother slammed for taking daughter on to frozen lake hits back: 'The ice is thick and the water isn't that deep'Two arrested after police follow footprints from break-in... right to suspects' front door 'They are doing their best to meet the contracts that they have put in place with people, but it is a period of absolutely unprecedented demand. IS THERE WORSE TO COME? An icy wind will sweep across the UK in the next few days, making wintry temperatures feel even colder, forecasters said today. Stronger easterly winds will grip southern and eastern parts of England before spreading across the UK throughout the weekend. This will make temperatures feel as low as minus 10C (14F) in the South, Midlands and northern England on Saturday, the Met Office said. A spokesman said: 'It will be made to feel even colder by a brisk easterly wind. 'It's going to feel really penetratingly cold with temperatures feeling closer to between minus 5C (23F) and minus 10C (14F).' The icy conditions could last for another ten days. 'This is exceptionally cold weather,' he added. 'It looks as if it is going to go on for quite some time.' Cheshire's Winsford mine, which produces most of the country's supplies, said it has only a few days' supply of surface salt left. After that it will be dependent on salt from deep underground. The Local Government Association warned last night that salt is actually ineffective against ice below -8c (18f). 'If it gets colder than that at the weekend you could dump the entire world's supply of salt on the roads and it wouldn't help,' a spokesman said. Harrow Council in north-west London said it had ordered sufficient supplies of salt, but it had simply not been delivered. The council's deputy leader, Susan Hall, said: 'We have got 510 tonnes left and we are trying to eke it out because it is simply not enough, because we haven't been delivered the promised amount from our suppliers. 'We had a contract. A thousand tonnes was ordered at the beginning of December, another 1,000 by the middle of December. As far as we knew it was going to be delivered and now suddenly it is not. 'It is no good Gordon Brown sitting there saying there is enough salt to go round - tell me when it is coming, because I am livid.' Emergency: Excavators load rock salt onto trucks at the British Salt facility in Middlewich, Cheshire, as grit supplies dwindle across the country Difficult decisions: As lorries queue up to be loaded with salt at Middlewich, councils were already using thinner layers of grit After icy weather paralysed Britain in February last year, an official report by the UK Roads Board concluded local authorities should have at least six days supplies of salt in reserve. It was for each body to secure the salt it needed, Mr Benn said He added that the Highways Agency, which has responsibility for motorways and major trunk roads, had stockpiled 13 days' supplies before the cold snap began. But the Tories claimed the Government had been too slow to act on the report's conclusions. 'It's a clear sign of how distracted the government has become that after the experiences of last February we are once again looking at insufficient salt reserves and countrywide disruption of the vital road network,' shadow communities secretary Caroline Spelman said. Highways authorities today began scaling back gritting to only the busiest roads and council staff have been diverted from other jobs to help clear snow and ice. In Hartlepool, in the North East, officials have adopted a 'first priority' policy that means only key routes such as the A689, A179, York Road and Marina Way are now being treated. Gritting of less busy 'second priority' roads has been temporarily suspended. In Brighton and Hove, parking attendants were diverted from handing out tickets to help shovel snow and grit pavements, a city council spokesman said. Cumbria Council said it had received numerous reports of people acting 'irresponsibly' and emptying community grit bins to use the contents on their own private properties and driveways. A spokesman said one member of the public emptied a grit bin then tried to sell the contents to other residents. The matter has been reported to police. Meanwhile, Walsall Council, in the West Midlands was working to replace bins which had been stolen by 'grit pirates'. Enlarge Enlarge Snow scape: A view across Cheshire towards the Pennines at Alderley Edge, Cheshire (left) and drivers struggle through icy conditions on the A28 at Ashford, in Kent Cabinet member for transport, Tom Ansell, said the actions of the thieves - which followed warnings about the theft of grit - beggared belief. 'It seems as though some idiots are not heeding this warning and we've had instances of people actually now stealing entire grit bins,' he said. Supermarkets have seen a surge in sales of table salt and cat litter as householders try to clear their driveways and the pavements outside their homes. Mercury plunging: A garden thermometer reads a temperature of minus 14C today in Knutsford, Cheshire Last night Britain was as cold as the South Pole as temperatures plummeted to a staggering minus 22.3C in the remote village of Altnaharra, in Sutherland. There was yet more disruption on the roads, trains and airports today with more than 10,000 schools staying shut. And as gas consumption soared nationwide yesterday, nearly 100 major UK firms were told to turn off their supply to help avert a demand crisis. Air passengers faced more disruption as easyJet cancelled around 30 flights to and from airports including Gatwick, Liverpool, Belfast and Stansted. British Airways advised customers to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport. Overnight some passengers were told to leave Terminal 5 without their luggage as flights were delayed. Several train companies warned of disrupted services, with commuters suffering not only a reduction in frequency on some routes but problems caused by broken-down trains. South West Trains, Southern and Southeastern train firms were among those operating to revised timetables. Eurostar was also running a limited service after the breakdown of a Brussels to London train in the Channel Tunnel. Trains will run 'as and when' through the weekend with as many as half the normal number of 25 trains departing from London's St Pancras every day are at risk of being cancelled. Snowbound: Architecture students from the University of Portsmouth made an igloo on Southsea Common Blitz spirit: Dominic and Kitty Grant, from Adlington, Cheshire, pulls were forced to walk four miles pulling their shopping home on sledges after the roads around their home became impassable Eurostar appealed to passengers to postpone or cancel their travel plans unless absolutely essential. A spokesman said: 'We expect more than half the normal number of trains to run, but fewer than normal. It's very difficult to predict.' NO PAY FOR ABSENTEES Workers stuck at home because of the snow yesterday were told their pay could be cut. Companies ranging from Sainsbury's to Virgin Trains said absent staff would not be paid despite the chaos on the roads, trains and buses. The move will enrage those who say they have had no option but to stay at home during the freeze. Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said any pay cut was unfair and unnecessary. ' Workers who have been prevented from getting to work despite their best efforts should not have to foot the bill for the bad weather conditions,' he said. Yesterday businesses insisted that they would give staff every chance to make up the lost days. Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said firms were being as flexible as possible. A poll by the chambers and Sky News said one in ten firms found their entire workforce absent. He denied yesterday's incident was caused by the 'wrong kind of snow' causing an electrical short-circuit - the problem which caused chaos before Christmas - but blamed other technical faults. In Reading, Berkshire, up to 4,000 homes were left without water after a main burst in the big freeze. It happened outside the Royal Berkshire Hospital but clinical areas were unaffected. Engineers hoped to restore supplies later today. Insurance companies are already reporting a huge surge in claims as a result of the freezing weather, relating to both on the roads and at home. Many firms reported a spike of up to 50 per cent in claims, particularly for burst pipes. At least six people have died, including a 16-year-old boy, after the car he was travelling in crashed on the A1 near Richmond, North Yorkshire. Jake Gray and his 46-year-old mother Gillian, from Hebburn in Northumbria, are believed to have been making their way to the hard shoulder after colliding with the central reservation when they were struck by a lorry. Fire crews spent three hours trying to release the boy who had become trapped under the lorry, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A spokesman for the North Yorkshire fire service said: 'The roads were treacherous. It was -6C and there were widespread icy roads.' It has emerged that Jake's mother, who had another son aged 18, had given a friend's son a lift when the accident happened. Another family friend said: 'From what I understand, she was actually doing a favour. Her friend had asked if she could take her son down to university in Leeds.' Deadly: Drivers brave dangerous conditions on the A28 near Ashford in Kent today Midwinter madness: A woman braves the icy waters at the Serpentine lake, in London's Hyde Park In South Yorkshire an elderly woman froze to death in her own back garden. Widow Mary Priestland, 90, died of hypothermia as temperatures plummeted to -7 degrees. It is believed she may have fallen while in the garden of her home in, Goldthorpe, near Barnsley or become confused because of the cold. In the latest death, a sports fan attending the World Darts Championships was found in a frozen lake near the competition venue. The man, believed to be in his 40s, was discovered under ice close to the Lakeside Country Club in Surrey where the televised event is being held. Sussex Police reported there had been more 999 calls yesterday than New Year's Eve. North East Ambulance Service also underlined it was under 'very challenging conditions'. In Northumberland, an angler was buried alive after the cliff face he was standing on collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and ice. The sea fisherman was casting off the coast near Newbiggin-by-the-Sea when the 20-metre cliff crumbled, burying him under rocks and rubble 50ft below. More than 50 members of the local coastguard and fire crews made a desperate three-hour bid to uncover the man but he was pronounced dead at the scene last night. In Shetland, Scotland, a 71-year-old woman was killed in a car crash in icy conditions, and in North Wales, fireman Gareth Wyn Rees, 50, died after slipping in snow and smashing his head on the ice while walking home from his station. In North London, a young man was fighting for his life after suffering head injuries in a sledging accident. The victim, 29, crashed into a tree in Alexandra Park at about 2.30am after apparently using a mattress as a sleigh. WOMAN IN LABOUR WITH TWINS WALKS TO HOSPITAL IN BLIZZARD Relief: Angela Mahon with partner Terry Smith and one of her newborn twin boys A pregnant woman today told how she trudged through snow in just her pyjamas to reach hospital to give birth to twins after her car became stuck in blizzard conditions. Angela Mahon was being driven by partner Terry Smith when their car became stuck in a huge traffic jam. It took the couple two hours to drive the five miles from their home in Leigh Park, Havant, Hampshire, to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth on Tuesday. But Ms Mahon had to abandon the car for the final 400 yards and battled through the snow wearing only her bedclothes, dressing gown and slippers. On arrival she called out to medics, saying 'Help, I'm in labour,' and later that day, she had given birth to twins. The boys, Mykey, weighing 3lb 5oz, and Oakley, 3lb 14oz, were born prematurely at 31 weeks and both are doing well. Miss Mahon, who also has a nine-year-old son, Bailey, and 11-year-old daughter, Kelsey-Mai, said she had called for an ambulance but when she explained how frequent her contractions were, she was told they couldn't get to her in time. She told the Portsmouth News: 'I thought we weren't going to make it. 'I was so scared, I was really panicking. I think I was in shock. I just wanted to get there for the twins. 'The twins are doing really well. They've had an interesting start in life but the care we've had has been brilliant.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1241576/Britains-gritting-stocks-reach-crisis-point-biggest-freeze-30-years-wreaks-havoc-10-days-come.html#ixzz0c3NW87UM
January 9, 201016 yr We're running out of it too here, many difference is that we only got a light dusting really, expect for in dublin. And the weather is supposed to get alot worse too over here, which will be nothing compared to england. They can't deal with it :laugh4: They called off all schools until next thursday :D which is grand for me, i have exams all that week. :)
January 10, 201016 yr Yeah it's meant to snow again tomorrow/ on Monday so its gonna get even worse. Liverpool's like an ice rink. I slipped on the ice last night and I'm still in pain.:(
January 10, 201016 yr Author http://www.shiverpool.co.uk/ That's shivering for a completely different reason!:P
January 10, 201016 yr http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1242011/DAVID-ROSE-The-mini-ice-age-starts-here.html It's here! The new mini ice age!
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