UK questions snow travel chaos

Friday, January 31, 2003 Posted: 10:17 PM HKT (1417 GMT)

A boy and his mother walk in London's snowstorm on Thursday

LONDON, England -- With more snow forecast overnight, UK officials are asking how icy snowstorms a day earlier could have left hundreds of thousands of commuters stranded for hours.

Snow showers and Arctic winds on Thursday forced the closure of one of London's airports, as thousands of commuters spent the night in their cars on a motorway northeast of London.

Services were suspended across parts of the London Underground network, and mainline train services in and out of the capital were disrupted.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said he wanted to know the reason for the chaos.

"Snowfall in January is hardly unexpected," Darling said.

"I have asked the Highways Agency, the rail industry, tube and local authorities for an explanation for why the transport system in some parts of the country became paralysed so quickly."

The worst affected motorway was the M11 northeast of London, where wrecks and dangerous driving conditions left motorists and lorry drivers stranded in their vehicles overnight.

"It's a total mess," said one of those stuck overnight, BBC presenter Peter Allen. "There are lorries strewn all over the place."

The Freight Transport Association said that despite snow having been forecast, roads had not been gritted, costing the industry tens of thousands of pounds, Reuters reported.

The Highways Agency said its gritting lorries had been salting motorways and trunk roads from midday on Thursday but that snow showers, accidents and heavy traffic prevented them from finishing the job on the M11 and the M25 orbital motorway around London.

Stansted Airport north of London was closed on Thursday night, and many services were cancelled at Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

Central London saw its largest snowfall in 12 years earlier this month

A spokesman for Stansted said: "The runway is clear but the apron areas are far too icy." The airport was expected to reopen later on Friday.

At Heathrow, 150 arrivals and departures were cancelled, and many other flights were delayed for up to four hours as staff worked to clear snow and ice from runways and planes, The Associated Press reported.

Four inches of snow had fallen in Essex, northeast of London, according to the UK Press Association, and temperatures fell to minus 6C (21F) overnight.

Forecasters said Arctic winds would bring more snow overnight north and east of London.

Only a few inches of snow can paralyse southern England. The Automobile Association said the road congestion was the worst in London in several years.

On the London Underground, parts of the Piccadilly, Northern, Jubilee, Bakerloo and Metropolitan lines were closed.

Tube passengers were already facing chaos because of the closure of the Central line and Waterloo and City line following a derailment last weekend that left 32 people injured. The lines are not expected to reopen for at least another two weeks.

There were 385 emergency calls between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday and more than 42 incidents on Britain's roads, ranging from fallen power cables and telegraph poles to overturned vehicles and crashes.

The weather apparently contributed to the death of an eight-year-old girl who was crushed by a falling tree at her school in Surrey, south of London.

Rianna Davenport, 8, died when she was trapped under a tree that was uprooted by strong winds at West Ashted County Primary School, police said.

"This is a tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the families that are involved," said Detective Chief Inspector Martin Parker of Surrey Police. Three other children also were injured.

Snow Storms Cause Commuter Chaos in U.K.

Snow Storms, Freezing Temperatures Cause Commuter Chaos in Parts of Britain

Snow storms and freezing temperatures caused a major disruption for commuters in parts of Britain on Thursday, forcing the closure of one London airport, cancelled flights, delayed trains and car accidents.

At London's Heathrow Airport, 150 arrivals and departures were canceled, and many other flights were delayed for up to four hours as staff battled to clear runways of snow and planes of ice.

London's Stansted Airport shut down, saying the treacherous conditions were too dangerous to allow flights to continue.

"The runway is clear but the apron areas are far too icy. We have no idea when the airport will reopen but as far as tonight is concerned there is no chance of flights recommencing," an airport spokesman said.

In Essex county, northeast of London, 4 inches of snow had fallen, said Paul Knightley, senior meteorologist at Press Association's Weather Center. Only a few inches of snow can paralyze southern England, which rarely experiences such storms.

Strong winds and snow caused dozens of road accidents in the southern county of Cambridgeshire, police said.

Cambridgeshire police received 385 emergency calls between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and dealt with 45 serious crashes, a spokesman said.

In Ashtead, southern England, an 8-year-old schoolgirl was crushed to death when a huge tree toppled over in her school's playground. Rianna Davenport died from multiple injuries after she was trapped under the tree, which was uprooted by strong winds at West Ashtead County Primary School, police said.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Parker of Surrey police said three other children also were injured. One had a suspected broken leg, while the other two sustained minor injuries, he added.

"This is a tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the families that are involved," he said.

The weather also caused havoc in London as several train lines, including some overland sections of London's subway, were closed.

Meteorologists said severe weather warnings were in force in northern Scotland and eastern England as blizzards downed power lines and overturned vehicles.

Temperatures had dropped to 21 degrees in parts of the country, Press Association's Weather Center said.

Ice and snow blanketed parts of England and Scotland earlier this month, shutting shops, delaying trains and leaving cars broken down on roadways. Central London got its heaviest snowfall in 12 years 2 inches. Up to four inches fell in south London.

My back garden 

Front garden

Table covered with 6" of snow

Its OK I've found it ...

My neighbours house up for sale

 .. sold in three days for £118,000