Snow and ice sparks travel chaos after
- Snow and ice have caused widespread disruption across the UK this morning
- A man said to be living in his car was found dead with a police cordon in place
Published: 08:47, 2 December 2023 | Updated: 10:30, 2 December 2023
Snow and ice have caused widespread disruption across the UK this morning with trains and flights cancelled and events postponed due to the weather.
The Met Office[2] issued yellow weather warnings for parts of the country this morning as temperatures dropped as low as -10C overnight.
Parts of Britain even experienced snow last night – with heavy snow in Scotland causing Glasgow[3] Airport to suspend all flights.
Flurries of snow also fell in the southeast and southwest of England, with icy rails causing a power failure in Kent.
This led to the Southeastern service between Dover Priory and Ramsgate to be suspended.
A homeless[4] man was found dead in a car yesterday in Beeston, Nottinghamshire after freezing temperatures swept the country, with the fire brigade called to free his body from the vehicle.
Some Brits woke to a Christmas scene with white roofs in Glasgow today
Pictured: A dog walker strolls along a frozen lake in Gateshead this morning
Pictured: Saltwell Park in Gateshead earlier today
The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for parts of the country this morning as temperatures dropped as low as -10C overnight.
Pictured: Glasgow this morning
The freezing temperatures haven’t stopped some walkers who ventured out this morning
Snow covered the Blackpool coastline this morning as the Met Office issues yellow warnings
Widespread travel disruption is being caused by the ice and snow
Nottinghamshire police cordoned off a residential road in Beeston yesterday after a man said to be living in his car was found dead at 9am.
A cordon remained through out the day and into the evening.
Neighbours commented on the incident saying they had approached the man in the past and tried to get him help to sleep somewhere warmer.
Nottinghamshire Police described the incident as ‘tragic’ but said it is not currently being treated as suspicious, and a file is being prepared for the coroner.
A statement from Nottinghamshire Police said: ‘Police were called to Dallas York Road, Beeston, at around 10am (1 December) following reports of a man’s sudden death.’
A video shared on X saw police huddled around a black car covered in frost, with an ambulance parked nearby.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice covering much of the Midlands, Yorkshire and North and Central Wales from 6pm on Saturday to 12pm on Sunday.
It warned that some roads and railways are ‘likely to be affected’ by the conditions with longer journey times by road, bus and train.
The Met Office added that there would probably be some icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths resulting in ‘some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces’.
The yellow weather warning, issued just before 9.30am on Saturday, follows others for snow and ice that have already been issued for parts of Scotland, Cumbria, the eastern coast of England and a yellow warning of ice in the South West of England.
Nottinghamshire police cordoned off a residential road in Beeston yesterday after a man said to be living in his car was found dead at 9am.
Pictured: police at the area yesterday
A cordon remained through out the day and into the evening.
Pictured yesterday
Nottinghamshire Police said the incident is not being treated as suspicious.
Pictured Friday
Football fans will be disappointed as the freezing conditions means the FA Cup second round clash between Crewe and Bristol Rovers has been postponed.
This is because a pitch inspection found it was unsafe to play due to a ‘prolonged spell of sub-zero conditions’.
Crewe’s match with Bristol Rovers in the second round of the FA Cup today has been called off and rearranged for December 12, with the playing surface deemed unsafe.
A number of Scottish Professional Football League matches were likewise postponed ahead of the weekend, with Dundee United’s trip to face Morton at Cappielow called off, and the game between Ayr and Arbroath at Somerset Park.
It comes after the first day of meteorological winter brought a cold snap across the UK yesterday, sparking panic among event organisers who have cancelled a raft of events including a Christmas fun run.
Several train services were cancelled or delayed due to the icy conditions, and adding to the chaos are the strikes by train drivers [5]affecting East Midlands Railway and LNER services today.
ScotRail also posted on X to warn travellers that ‘heavy snow’ is impacting their rails.
It read: ‘Heavy snow is affecting multiple routes across the West of Scotland this morning.
‘The snow is affecting some signalling systems and staff are working as quickly as possible to rectify these just now. Please check your journey prior to travelling.’
Yellow weather warnings are in place through to 11am on Saturday morning for the northern coast and southwest of Scotland, along with the southwest and the eastern coast of England.
Glasgow woke to snow scenes this morning as temperatures plunged below freezing
The Met Office warned drivers and cyclists to be wary of slippery roads and said travelling by road or railway is likely to take longer due to icy patches
Yellow weather warnings are in place through to 11am on Saturday morning for the northern coast and southwest of Scotland, along with the southwest and the eastern coast of England
Lily Brown, eight, Rourke Fisher, eight, and Aurora Fisher, seven, play on the snowy sand at Blackpool beach this morning
Freezing overnight temperatures saw the lake freeze over and dog walkers enjoy the snow covered surroundings at Saltwell Park in Gateshead this morning
The Angel of the North stands surrounded by snow on a chilly start to the day
Seagulls rested on the frozen lake at Saltwell Park in Gateshead today during freezing weather
Scotland in particular had heavy snow fall over the last few days with temperatures dropping to -10C on Friday night.
This led to Glasgow Airport suspending all their flights this morning.
A post on the Glasgow Airport’s X account read: ‘Flight operations are currently suspended due to heavier than forecast snow.
‘Our winter teams have been working through the night and we hope to resume operations as soon as possible.
‘Please check with your airline for further flight updates.’
Dale Hipkiss, National Network Manager at National Highways, said: ‘Plan ahead for your journey, check weather forecasts, and if weather conditions do become challenging whilst travelling, adjust your driving behaviour and take extra care.
‘If you do unfortunately find yourself in an unsafe or vulnerable situation and need assistance please contact the emergency services.
‘We have a guide to travelling in severe weather on our website. It’s also a good idea for people to check their vehicle’s tyres, coolant and oil levels before heading out to reduce the risk of a breakdown.’
Some schools in Scotland, Durham and Cornwall have closed due to difficulties for staff and pupils getting in.
Seaham High School in County Durham posted on Facebook: ‘We have made the decision to close the school today due to not enough staff being able to get into work.
We will update soon regarding online work being made available’.
The weather has also caused disruption to events across the UK, with a firework display due to take place at Stonham Barns Park today has been cancelled due to the weather.
Organisers said: ‘Unfortunately due to the weather and the condition of our field we have decided to cancel our firework night this weekend.’
It comes after several firework displays across Suffolk were postponed or cancelled due to poor weather in November.
The official parkrun has has to cancel dozens of events this weekend due to ‘weather’ and ‘frost and ice on the course’.
Organisers of the cancelled Albert Parkrun in Middlesborough quipped that ‘the pavement allows for ice skating rather than run’.
Motoring company Driving Experience has warned drivers to brush up on their knowledge of when to use their fog lights – or face fines of GBP50.
The company said that drivers who have their fog lights on during clear weather could be issued with fines.
Temperatures plunged to their lowest since March yesterday, causing 30 schools to close or open late in Cornwall.
Several crashes were also reported on the roads in County Durham roads as a result of the snow.
References
- ^ Emily Jane Davies (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Met Office (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Glasgow (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ homeless (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ strikes by train drivers (www.dailymail.co.uk)